I         THE 

Last 

THE 

Miranda 


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Wal5H 


pnnwwnw  imiim,*  i 


Philadelphia 


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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  ANI> 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


The  last  cruise 

of  the  miranda 

A   RECORD   OF  ARCTIC   ADVENTURE 


BY 

HENRY  COLLINS   WALSH 

WITH  C0NTBIBUT10N8  FROM 

Prof.  Wm.  H.  Brewer,  of  Yale ;  Prof.  G.  Frederick  Whioht,  of  Oberliii :  Jamkh  D. 

Dewell,  Hon.  George  W.  Gardker,  Prof.  B.  C.  Jillson,  Dr.  V.  A.  Cook, 

t'APT.  Geo.  W.  Dixon,  Rudolf  Kersting,  Dr.  R.  O.  Stebbins, 

Maynard  Ladd,  Arthur  R.  Thompson,  Russell  W. 

Porter,  Caelyle  Garrison,  L.  J.  W.  Joyner, 

Samuel  Orth,  and  Ohas.  B.  Carpenter. 


Profusely  Illustrated  from   Photographs  taken  on  the  Trip. 


MDCCCXCVI 

THE   TRANSATLANTIC   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 

NEW   YORK 

63  Fifth  Avenue 

LONDON 

26  Henrietta  Street,  Covent  Garden 


Copyright  i8 


JAMES  D.  DEWELL 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

Henry  Collins  Walsh (t 

Captain  Dixon's  Log 135 

Atmospheric  Dust  in  the  Arctic  Regions.    Professor  William 
H.  Brewer 148 

Glacial  Observations  in  Labrador  and  Southern  Green- 
land.    Professor  G.  Frederick  Wright  ....   162 

Thk  Greenlandeks.     Frederick  A.  Cook,  M.D.  .         .173 

A  Greenland  Cemetery.    James  D.  Dewell      .        .        .        .180 

The  Eskimos'  Teeth,  and  Other  Notes.   R.  O.  Stebbins,  D.D.S.  186 

The  Flora  op  South  Greenland.    Samuel  P.  Orth  .  190 

Note  on  the  Insects  of  Sukkertoppen.    L.  J.  W.  Joj'ner        .  194 

The  Finding  of  the  Rigel.     Russell  W.  Porter  .196 

The  Trip  to  Holsteinborg.     Maynard  Ladd      ....  203 

Icebergs     Arthur  R.  Thompson 208 

A  Greenland  Sunday.    Charles  Blake  Carpenter  .210 

Our  Adventures  at  Sukkertoppen.    Carlyle  Garrison    .         .  215 

The  Illustrations.    Rudolf  Kersting 218 

A  Letter  from  Hon.  George  W.  Gardner  .322 

A  Letter  from  Professor  B.  C.  Jillson  ....  225 

The  Arctic  Club .        .        .  229 


775349 


DEDICATED 

TO 

COMRADES  ON  THE   MIRANDA   AND  THE  RIGEL 


THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  MIRANDA. 


CHAPTER  I. 


It  is  a  comparatively 
easy  matter  to  organize  an 
Arctic  expedition  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  but  it 
is  quite  another  thing  to 
get  the  expedition  well 
into  the  Arctic  regions 
and  bring  it  safely  home 
again.  This  requires  a 
happy  combination  of  cir- 
cumstances,  which  the 
uninitiated  are  not  apt  to  take  into  consideration.  There  was 
probably  not  an  individual  who  had  joined  **Dr.  Cook's 
Arctic  Expedition  of  1894  "  who  for  a  moment  doubted  that 
the  expedition  would  really  be  in  Melville  Bay  on  the 
scheduled  time,  and  a  connection  with  Lieutenant  Peary  and 
his  party  was  looked  upon  as  a  matter  of  course.  But,  as 
Robbie  Burns  aptly  puts  it : 

"The  best  laid  schemes  o'  mice  and  men 
Gang  aft  agley." 

Quite  a  number  of  mice,  as  well,  indeed,  as  their  larger 
cousins  the  rats,  had  laid  their  plans  to  accompany  the  expe- 
dition; though  to  the  credit  of  some,  be  it  said,  that  with  wise 
forethought  they  deserted  the  ship  on  the  very  day  of  sailing. 


10 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


and  thus  brought  fear  and  dire  forebodings  to  the  hearts  of 
superstitious  sailors.  But  who  then,  except  these  wise  rats, 
dreamed  that  a  single  solitary  iceberg  among  the  almost 
countless  numbers  that  would  be  passed  on  the  way  would 
wilfully  crash  into  the  Miranda,  and  so  delay  matters  by  the 
damage  inflicted  as  to  force  the  expedition  to  give  up  its  cher- 
ished plan  of  piercing  into  really  far  northern  latitudes  ;  or 
again,  who  among  the  human  beings  dreamed  that  the  ship 
would  ultimately  come  to  grief  upon  some  sunken  rocks  off 
the  bleak  coast  of  Greenland,  and  thus  end  the  expedition  in 

disaster  ? 
But  this,  as 
Mr.  Kipling 
says,  is  an- 
other story, 
or  rather 
one  to  be 
told  later  on. 
At  the 
start  it  may 
be  well  to 
state  briefly 
the  objects 
THE  MIRANDA.  of   the  ex- 

pedition, which,  though  they  were  not  accomplished,  except  in 
part,  still  made  up  a  very  attractive  prospectus.  The 
main  objects  were  :  To  study  the  Greenland  glacier  system, 
the  inland  ice -cap,  the  glaciers  and  icebergs;  to  map  out 
and  explore  a  part  of  the  unknown  coast  of  Melville  Bay, 
and  to  photograph,  sketch,  and  study  the  Eskimos,  and  the 
animal  and  vegetable  life  to  be  found  in  the  northern 
regions. 

The  Peary  camp  was  to  be  visited,  and  the  latest  news  con- 
cerning that  expedition  was  to  be  brought  back  to  the  United 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


n 


States  in  advance  of  the  Peary  party.  A  search  was  to  be 
undertaken  for  the  young  Swedish  explorers,  Bjorling  and 
Kallestenius,  who  had  boldly  skoaled  to  the  northward  in  a 
crazy  kind  of  a  tub,  and  passed  into  the  great  Arctic  silences, 
never  to  be  heard 
of  again.  During 
this  search  a  part 
of  the  unknown 
coast  of  Elles- 
mere  Land  Avas 
to  be  explored. 
Then  the  great 
game  to  be  found 
in  the  Arctic  re- 
g  i  o  n  s ,  such  as 
polar  bear,  wal- 
rus, reindeer, 
seal,  caribou,  etc.. 
attracted  quite  a 
number  of  sports- 
men to  the  ex- 
pedition, among 
them  such  well- 
known  hunters  as 
Professor  L.  L. 
Dyclie,  of  the  Kansas  State  University,  whose  Western 
hunting  experiences  are  related  in  "  Camp  Fires  of  a  Natural- 
ist ;"  E.  A.  Mcllhenny,  and  Robert  D.  Perry. 

The  officers  of  the  expedition  were  :  Dr.  Frederick  A. 
Cook,  commander  and  organizer  of  the  expedition ;  Professor 
William  H.  Brewer,  of  Yale  ;  Professor  G.  Frederick  Wright, 
of  Oberlin  College,  and  Professor  B.  C.  Jillson,  of  Pittsburg, 
geologists ;  Professor  L.  L.  Dyche,  Kansas  State  University, 
zoologist ;  E.    A.    Mcllhenny,    of   Louisiana,   ornithologist ; 


DR.    FREDERICK   A.    COOK. 


12  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

Samuel  P.  Orth  and  B.  F.  Staunton,  of  Oberlin,  botanists ; 
Professor  Elias  P.  Lyon,  of  Harvard  School,  Chicago,  biolo- 
gist ;  Dr.  Jules  F.  Valle,  of  St.  Louis,  and  Dr.  R.  M.  Cramer, 
of  New  York,  surgeons ;  Professor  L.  J.  Joyner,  of  Pough- 
keepsie,  entomologist ;  Eussell  W.  Porter,  of  Boston,  and 
Robert  DeP.  Tytus,  of  New  Haven,  surveyors ;  H.  C.  Walsh, 
of  New  York,  historian.  Rudolf  Kersting,  of  New  York,  was 
the  official  photographer,  and  Charles  K.  Reed,  of  AYorcester, 
Mass.,  and  J.  A.  Travis,  of  New  York,  were  the  taxidermists. 

Other  members  of  the  expedition  were  James  D.  Dewell, 
of  New  Haven ;  Hon.  George  W.  Gardner,  ex-Mayor  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio ;  Ashley  C.  Clover,  ex-Prosecuting  Attorney 
of  St.  Louis ;  G.  W.  W.  Dove  and  A.  A.  Freeman,  of 
Andover,  Mass.  ;  Willis  A.  Reeve,  of  Patchogue,  L.  I.; 
William  Bryce,  Jr.,  of  New  York ;  Maynard  Ladd,  John  R. 
Fordyce,  H.  D.  Cleveland,  Frederick  P.  Gay,  of  Harvard 
College  ;  C.  P.  Lineaweaver,  T.  J.  Lineaweaver,  A.  B.  Brown, 
H.  W.  Dunning,  Philip  Evans,  C.  J.  Rumrill,  A.  P.  Rogers, 
A.  R.  Thompson,  of  Yale  College ;  R.  D.  Perry,  of  Phillips- 
ton,  Mass. ;  S.  G.  Tenney,  of  Williamstown,  Mass.  ;  Chas.  B. 
Carpenter,  of  New  York  ;  Professor  Charles  E.  Hite,  L'niver- 
sity  of  Pennsylvania  ;  G.  M.  Coates,  G.  H.  Perkins,  Howard 
Bucknell,  of  Philadelphia  ;  R.  0.  Stebbins,  of  New  York  ; 
W.  H.  H.  Armstrong,  of  Newburg- on -Hudson  ;  William  J. 
Littell,  of  AVashington,  D.  C.  ;  Benjamin  Hoppin  and  A.  A. 
Sutherland,  of  Baddeck,  C.  B.  ;  J.  A.  Travis,  Jr.,  of  New 
York  ;  AValter  S.  Root,  of  Cleveland  ;  F.  B.  Wright,  of  Ober- 
lin ;  Carlyle  Garrison,  of  Merchantville,  N.  J. 

Carl  Garrison,  the  last  mentioned,  was  by  far  the  youngest 
member  of  the  expedition — a  boy  of  but  thirteen  years  of  age. 
As  his  parents  are  old  friends  of  mine,  he  went  along  under 
my  care,  and  I  had  every  reason  to  be  proud  of  my  young 
charge.  Through  all  our  various  trials,  dangers,  and  rough 
experiences  he  showed  a  courage  and  discretion  far  beyond 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


13 


his  years,  and  accepted  all  manner  of  hardships  with 
cheerfulness  and  with  calm  philosophy.  He  was  dubbed 
the  "Mascot."  Who  the  more  powerful  spirit  of  evil 
in  the  shape  of  a  Jonah  was,  has  not  yet  been  finally 
determined. 

Perhaps  the  real  Jonah  was  the  Miranda  herself,  if  a 
Jonah  can  be  of 
the  feminine 
gender.   Certain- 
ly the  name  itself 
is  suggestive    of 
hidden  reefs  and 
tempests,  and  the 
vessel's    previous 
history  had  been 
decidedly  unfor- 
tunate.   She  was 
built  for  the  Ked 
Cross    Line,    in 
Liverpool,    Eng- 
land,   in   1884, 
and   had   hardly 
been  put  into  ser- 
vice  between 
New  York,  Hali- 
fax,    and    St. 
Johns  when   she 
ran  on  rocks  off 
Point  Judith. 
Later  she  struck 
on  rocks  in  Ilell 
Gate   and    sank, 
but  was  raised    at    considerable    cost.     She    collided   with 
an  iron  steamer,  and  later  with  a  schooner,  and  it  was  she 


CAPTAIN    WILLIAM   J.    FARRELL. 


14 


THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


who  towed  Leary's  raft  from  Nova  Scotia  iu  1887.  The  raft 
pulled  the  fastenings  out  of  the  Miranda,  went  to  pieces,  and 
became  a  serious  disturber  of  traffic.  She  lost  her  good 
name  and  passenger   trade   after  these  accidents,   and   was 

finally  rented 
out  as  a  frieght 
steamer,  run- 
ning between 
New  York , 
Jamaica,  and 
Central  Ameri- 
ca. Is  it  any 
wonder  that, 
with  such  a  sin- 
gular penchant 
for  rocks  and 
collisions,  she 
should  finally 
have  come  to 
grief  upon  a 
sunken  reef  off 
the  coast  of 
Greenland  ? 
The  captain  of 
the  Miranda 
was  William 
J.    Farrell,    and    the    first    officer,    George    Manuel. 

The  expedition  started  from  Pier  G,  North  River,  New 
York,  on  the  afternoon  of  July  7.  This  was  several  days 
later  than  had  been  expected,  but  the  Miranda  had  been 
tardy  in  a  voyage  from  Central  America.  Of  course,  quite  a 
crowd  of  people  had  collected  about  the  pier,  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  passengers,  and  a  number  of  others  were  there 
out  of  curiosity  to  have  a  look  at  the  vessel  and  its  occupants. 


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Wm 

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^^^^^^^^H^^L  -  /^-^^ 

yt 

OUR    ESKIMO    FRIENDS 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  15 

A  party  of  four  Eskimos,  consisting  of  a  father  and  his  two 
daughters  and  a  youth,  who  were  being  taken  back  to  their 
homes  after  assisting  in  the  spectacular  effects  of  a  lecture 
tour,  came  in  for  a  great  share  of  attention,  and  submit- 
ted patiently  to  unceasing  cross-examinations,  for  they 
had  learned  to  speak  English  fluently,  perhaps  to  their 
regret. 

At  length  the  signal  was  given  for  all  to  go  on  shore  who 
were  not  going  with  the  expedition,  and  the  pause  that  came 
before  the  actual  start  gave  a  stout  man  on  the  wharf  an  op- 
portunity to  let  off  a  few  mild  jokes  at  our  expense.  He  per- 
sisted in  looking  upon  the  expedition  from  a  humorous  stand- 
point, and  was  aided  and  abetted  in  his  point  of  view  by  a 
Fourth  of  July  jag  which  had  not  yet  entirely  deserted  him. 
"  What  in  the  name  of  Hades  do  you  want  to  go  to  the  North 
Pole  for  anyway,"  he  shouted,  "  when  ice  is  only  two  dollars 
a  ton  in  New  York?"  Little  did  he  know  how  dearly  ice 
would  cost  us  off  the  coast  of  Labrador  later  on.  But  when 
the  start  was  actually  made,  and  the  Miranda,  instead  of 
backing  out,  as  was  intended,  headed  directly  for  the  dock, 
hitting  against  two  or  three  smaller  craft  on  her  way,  his  de- 
light knew  no  bounds.  "  Are  you  going  to  hunt  polar  bear 
in  Wall  Street  ?"  he  shouted  in  high  glee.  Something  un- 
looked  for  had  happened.  The  signal  wires  going  into  the 
engineer's  room,  which  had  just  been  renewed,  had  been  un- 
accountably crossed,  and  the  engineer  had  thus  received  the 
reverse  signal  from  the  one  intended.  However,  after  threat- 
ening to  entirely  demolish  some  smaller  craft,  and  after  a  great 
deal  of  bellowing  and  shouting,  and  not  a  little  swearing, 
matters  were  rectified,  and  the  Miranda  backed  out,  swung, 
and  started  on  her  career,  amid  cheers  and  wavings  and  con- 
fused shoutings  of  farewell  from  the  shore. 

We  steamed  through  Long  Island  Sound,  and  outside 
of  Nantucket.     The  usual  course  is  through  Vineyard  Sound, 


16 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


but  an  accident  to  our  compass  caused  the  captain  to  change 
the  course. 

The  first  days  out  were  not  crowded  with  incident,  as  is 
but  natural  on  the  ocean.     The  air  was  so  balmy  and  the 
water  so  smooth  that  there  was  but  little  seasickness,  though 
here  and  there  men  were  stretched  on  steamer-chairs  look- 
ing   with    jaun- 

"       "  diced  eyes  upon 

the  wrinkled  sea. 
Most  of  the 
huntsmen,  with  a 
restless  energy, 
kept  up  for  sev- 
eral days  a  con- 
tinual  rifle 
practice,  and 
shot  at  any  shin- 
ing mark  that 
offered.  Our 
deck,  bristling 
with  polished 
gun  -  barrels,  re- 
sembled that  of 
a  pirate  ship. 

On  July  9 
several  whales  ap- 
peared and  broke 
the  monotony  of 
the  watery  ex- 
panse. Many  of 
them  rose  so  close 
to  the  ship  as 
to  become  targets  for  the  sharpshooters,  and  a  chorus  of 
volleys   saluted   their  advent,  seemingly  to  the   satisfaction 


HENRY    COLLINS   WALSH 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA.  17 

of  both  parties  concerned  ;  for  the  whales  spouted  and 
dipped  in  answer  to  the  salutes  accorded  them,  and  seemed 
not  a  whit  the  worse  for  the  broadsides  poured  into  them.  In 
the  afternoon  a  large  swordfish  almost  ran  into  us,  and  also 
went  on  his  way  rejoicing,  after  receiving  a  baptism  of  fire. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  broke  clear,  calm,  and  beautiful, 
with  hardly  a  ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  sea.  The  day 
passed  without  an  important  event,  except  that  a  small  and 
select  band  of  stokers  and  firemen  seized  the  occasion  to  break 
into  the  wine- room,  where  they  remained  to  scoff  while  others 
prayed,  with  the  result  that  a  free  fight  was  indulged  in, 
shortly  after  which  one  of  the  firemen  disappeared.  All  sorts 
of  rumors  spread  regarding  the  missing  man,  and  it  was  gen- 
erally believed  that  he  had  jumped  overboard  as  a  result  of 
a  drunken  frenzy.  He  was  several  days  afterwards  dis- 
covered hiding  in  the  hold,  and  deserted  the  ship  promptly 
on  our  arrival  at  Sydney. 

The  next  morning  we  were  off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia, 
and  it  was  cold,  foggy,  and  dismal.  Our  whistle  was  kept 
constantly  blowing,  and  many  soundings  were  taken.  The 
gloom  of  the  fog  seemed  to  hang  even  over  the  breakfast- 
table  until  it  was  lifted  by  the  genial  Professor  Brewer,  of 
Yale.  The  Professor  was  the  autocrat  of  the  breakfast-table, 
and  many  a  word  of  wit  and  wisdom  fell  with  unconscious  ease 
from  his  lips  ; — one  of  those  rare  men  upon  whom  learning 
sits  easily  and  gi*acefully,  without  weighing  down  in  the 
least  upon  a  delicate  and  keen  sense  of  humor.  To  him  we 
were  indebted  for  much  useful  information  upon  all  man- 
ner of  subjects,  as  well  as  many  a  hearty  laugh.  On  this 
occasion  the  laughter  was  raised  unconsciously;  but  the  story  is 
too  good  to  be  left  untold.  The  Professor  sat  at  the  head  of  the 
table  holding  an  egg  up  to  the  light  and  eyeing  it  curiously. 
**  See,"  he  said  to  a  professor  next  to  him,  '*  the  wonderful 
provision  of  Nature  in  mending  eggs,"  and  he  dilated  at  some 


18 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAIfDA. 


length  upon  this  provision,  and  passed  the  egg  to  let  his 
brother  professor  inspect  the  shell,  beneath  an  aperture  of 
which  another  shell  had  apparently  formed.  "■  I  have  had  a 
varied  experience  with  hard-boiled  eggs/'  said  the  Professor's 
brother  in  arms,  "  but  this  is  certainly  the  hardest  egg  that 
I  have  ever  seen,"  and  he  hit  the  egg  a  crack  with  his  knife. 


GROUP    OF    PROFESSORS. 


but  the  knife  rebounded.  Professor  Brewer  then  took  the  egg 
in  hand  again,  and  struck  it  a  resounding  thump  with  a  heavy 
plated  spoon.  "  Why,  by  Jolly,"  he  exclaimed,  "it's  a  china 
egg  ! "  And  then  the  inextinguishable  laughter  of  the  gods 
arose  ;  but  notwithstanding,  the  Pi'ofessor  finished  his  lecture 
upon  Nature's  method  of  mending  eggs.     It  is  needless  to  say 


)*]' 


20  THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

that  in  spite  of  the  vigorous  thumps  it  had  received  the  par- 
ticular egg  in  question  needed  no  mending.  Had  it  ever  been 
hatched,  a  Shanghai  rooster,  perhaps,  would  have  been  the 
natural  result. 

''How  well  this  crowd  seems  to  get  along,"  remarked  a 
man  opposite  me  at  table,  "in  spite  of  the  fact  that  before 
leaving  New  York  scarcely  one  man  in  the  crowd  knew 
another." 

"Well,"  said  an  Englishman  upon  my  right,  with  the 
slow  deliberation  of  his  race  and  the  air  of  a  man  who  had 
given  the  subject  careful  consideration — "well,  but  we  are  a 
very  superior  crowd,  you  know."  There  was  no  dissent  from 
this  opinion. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  July  11,  we  steamed  into  the  beau- 
ful  harbor  of  Sydney,  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  tlie  world. 
A  ray  of  the  light  that  never  was  on  land  or  sea  seemed  to 
have  broken  from  the  unknown  void  to  shed  its  glory  on  land 
and  sea  and  sky.  On  either  hand  the  dual  town  of  Sydney 
stood  bathed  in  the  dying  light,  and  out  in  the  harbor,  sud- 
denly, as  if  by  magic,  a  gleaming  French  man-o'-war  loomed 
into  sight,  "clothed  in  white  samite,  mystic,  wonderful." 

It  was  evening  when  we  ran  alongside  of  a  wharf  at  North 
Sydney ;  for  we  had  to  take  in  a  supply  of  coal  here,  as  well 
as  live  stock  and  provisions.  A  speedy  outpouring  there  was, 
as  everybody  was  delighted  to  get  a  chance  to  stretch  his  legs, 
and  North  Sydney  was  quickly  overrun  by  what  looked  like  a 
band  of  pirates,  for  every  one  rushed  on  shore  in  sea-clothes. 
It  did  not  take  the  crowd  long  to  discover  a  restaurant, 
and  soon  there  gathered  here  a  festive  throng  who  managed 
to  sing  and  eat  at  the  same  time ;  next  to  the  dining- 
room  was  a  sitting-room  furnished  with  a  melodeon,  which 
was  kept  in  constant  service  by  some  musical  members 
of  the  company.  Suddenly  there  passed  by  the  windows  a 
band  of  the  Salvation  Army,  and  then  there  was  a  general 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  21 

rush.  Grave  professors,  students,  and  sportsmen  all  joined 
in  a  grand  triumphal  march  in  the  wake  of  the  Salvationists, 
and  lifted  up  their  voices  in  a  hymn  to  the  tune  of  "  March- 
ing through  Georgia."  It  was  an  extraordinary  procession  as 
it  passed  along  the  main  street  chanting  to  the  accompaniment 
of  a  most  vigorous  and  well-meaning,  if  erratic,  band.  Never 
before,  perhaps,  had  this  section  of  the  Army  of  the  Lord 
gathered  in  so  many  stray  sheep. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  look  of  joy  upon  the  face  of  an  old 
salt  who  marched  at  the  head  of  the  procession  beating  a 
bass-drum  with  a  nervous  energy,  as  if  he  were  thumping  the 
very  devil  himself.  At  length  a  little,  low  meeting-house  was 
reached,  and  when  we  had  filed  in  and  taken  our  seats  the 
usual  singing  and  clapping  was  gone  through  with.  Pale, 
nervous -looking  women,  clad  in  tlie  ungainly  uniform  of  the 
Salvationists,  with  a  wild,  fanatical  look  in  their  eyes,  hopped 
up  and  down  on  the  stage,  clapping  their  hands  and  chanting. 
Then  came  an  address  from  the  captain  of  the  band,  a  strange 
hotch-potch,  interspersed  with  many  " glories "  and  "amens." 
He  pictured  the  glories  of  the  hereafter  for  the  faithful  sol- 
diers of  the  Lord,  and  the  eyes  of  the  pale  women  gleamed 
with  the  light  of  hope  and  anticipation.  ^'  If  there  is  joy  in 
heaven,"  said  the  captain,  raising  his  voice,  "  over  one  sinner 
doing  repentance,  what  must  be  the  joy  in  heaven  when  a 
soldier  of  the  Salvation  Army  enters  into  the  pearly  gates  ?  I 
can  picture  myself  after  death  ascending  upward,  and  a  voice 
saying  to  me,  '  Who  comes  here  V  and  when  I  answer,  'Jim 
Watson  is  coming,'  oh,  I  can  hear  the  echoes  ringing  through 
heaven — *  Jim  Watson  is  coming,  Jim  Watson  is  coming  I* 
Oh,  I  tell  you,  friends,  there  will  be  exceeding  joy  in  heaven 
upon  that  day  !"  And  so  he  went  on  in  his  simple  egotism. 
Indeed,  I  hope  that  Mr.  Jim  Watson's  reception  in  heaven 
will  be  more  enthusiastic  than  the  one  he  was  accorded  by  his 
hearers  ;  for  the  natives  of  Sydney  did  not  appear  to  respond 


22  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXDA. 

heartily  to  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Salvationists.  In  fact,  the 
people  of  Sydney  seem  to  have  made  up  their  minds  about 
this  life  and  the  next  one,  and  perhaps  they  prefer  to  solve 
both  of  these  problems  by  the  lights  that  have  already  been 
given  them. 

There  was  another  subject  upon  which  the  inhabitants  of 
Sydney  seemed  to  have  made  up  their  minds,  and  that  was 
that  we  were  a  band  of  rash  and  foolhardy  men,  doomed 
to  certain  destruction.  An  iron  ship,  they  declared,  was  not 
fit  to  make  the  voyage  to  the  Arctic  regions ;  it  would  be 
smashed  by  the  ice.  We  smiled  at  such  prophecies  then,  but 
later  on  we  took  them  more  seriously.  One  ancient  oracle,  a 
prophet  of  wind  and  wave  and  ice,  who  appeared  to  have 
honor  even  in  his  own  country,  was  appealed  to  for  his 
opinion.  After  the  manner  of  many  another  oracle,  he  shook 
his  head,  gave  a  significant  look,  and  said  solemnly  that  he 
did  not  like  to  express  his  opinion  in  our  presence.  Had  he 
doomed  us  to  certain  death  he  could  not  have  thrown  a 
deeper  gloom  upon  the  assembled  company. 

From  North  Sydney  to  Sydney  proper  is  a  pleasant  half- 
hour's  ride  by  ferry.  At  Sydney  is  a  fine  summer  hotel,  which 
had  just  been  completed  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  It  is  run 
by  a  Bostonian,  Colonel  Brownell  Granger.  Indeed,  Boston 
capital  seems  to  be  doing  a  good  deal  for  the  development  of 
Cape  Breton.  A  party  of  four  of  us  drove  out  to  some  rich 
copper-mines  in  the  vicinity — a  fine  drive  through  a  rolling 
and  beautiful  country — and  were  taken  about  the  mines  by  the 
manager,  Mr.  Isaac  P.  Gragg,  also  from  Boston.  The  mines 
are  operated  by  a  Boston  firm,  the  Eastern  Development 
Company.  We  were  allowed  to  inspect  them  thoroughly,  and 
descended  the  shaft,  in  the  bucket  the  miners  go  down  in,  to 
the  depth  of  six  hundred  feet.  It  was,  of  course,  as  black  as 
pitch  soon  after  we  left  the  mouth  of  the  shaft;  but  we 
each  held  a  candle  in  one  hand,  and  held  on  to  the  chain  of 


THE    LAST   CRFISE   OF   THE   MTRANDA.  23 

the  bucket  with  the  other.  We  were  rigged  out  in  oilskin 
suits  before  descending,  in  order  to  preserve  our  clothes  from 
contact  with  the  slimy  sides  of  the  tunnels,  and  resembled  a 
religious  procession  as  we  slowly  walked  on  a  narrow  rail  along 
the  winding  slippery  tunnels,  holding  the  lighted  tapers  before 
ns.  When  we  had  been  carefully  hoisted  to  the  Avelcome  day- 
light again,  and  after  we  had  removed  our  oilskins  and 
washed  the  oozy  copper  slime  from  our  hands,  we  adjourned  to 
the  country  residence  of  the  genial  host  of  the  Sydney  Hotel, 
who  was  giving  a  lunch  that  day  to  a  party  of  mining  en- 
gineers and  the  lady  members  of  their  families.  We  had 
a  delightful  lunch,  and  were  most  agreeably  and  hospitably 
entertained.  As  we  were  seated  on  the  broad  veranda  enjoy- 
ing some  of  Colonel  Granger's  choice  cigars,  a  Scotch  bag- 
piper chanced  along,  with  a  company  of  two  young  men,  an 
elderly  woman,  and  a  very  venerable  and  silver-haired  dame. 
It  was  a  veritable  pied  piper  who  had  appeared  among  us.  and 
he  soon  had  his  little  company  dancing  a  unique  and  vigor- 
ous Scotch  breakdown.  The  very  old  dame  in  particular 
danced  with  remarkable  vigor,  and  displayed  unlooked-for 
agility  and  friskiness. 

"  And  the  gray  grand-sire  skilled  in  gestic  lore 
Hath  skipped  beneath  the  burden  of  four  score." 

It  was  wonderful  to  behold  this  venerable  girl  skipping  with 
graceful  agility  beneath  her  burden  of  fourscore.  I  am  some- 
what her  junior,  but  I  should  not  have  liked  to  have  en- 
gaged to  dance  her  down.  She  was  apparently  as  fresh  after 
the  dance  as  at  the  beginning  of  it,  though  she  must  have 
tramped  a  good  distance  that  day,  for  we  were  many  miles 
from  town.  We  took  a  picture  of  the  scene  ;  but  this,  together 
with  by  far  the  greater  number  of  photographs  that  were 
taken  on  the  expedition,  is  with  the  Miranda  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 


24  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 

Sydney  is  a  very  attractive  place,  with  green  sloping 
banks  that  run  down  to  meet  the  still  waters  of  a  beautiful 
cove — waters  so  deep  that  the  largest  vessels  can  anchor  within 
a  few  yards  of  the  shore  ;  and  here  British  and  French  war- 
ships are  to  be  seen  during  the  summer.  Now  that  the  town 
possesses  a  commodious  hotel,  furnished  with  every  modern 
convenience,  it  must  become  a  popular  resort  for  sportsmen 
and  tourists.  There  are  plenty  of  salmon  and  trout  in  the 
adjacent  streams,  as  well  as  fine  salt-water  fishing  ;  then,  as 
regards  liunting,  there  are  partridge,  snipe,  woodcock,  curlew, 
and  plover  to  be  found  in  abundance,  while  within  a  day^s 
journey  are  the  magnificent  hunting-grounds  of  the  North 
Cape.  Here  is  an  immense  tract  covered  with  primeval  woods, 
where  bear,  moose,  and  caribou  wander  about  at  will.  The 
interior  of  these  forests  has  never  been  fully  explored,  and 
but  rarely  echoes  to  the  crack  of  the  huntsman's  rifle. 

The  people  of  Cape  Breton  Island  are  mainly  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  mining  and  fishing  are  their  chief  industries. 
The  island  is  completely  seamed  with  veins  of  coal,  and  the 
enormous  mines  at  North  Sydney  run  far  out  under  the  sea. 
These  mines  are  also  owned  by  an  American  syndicate.  About 
a  mile  from  North  Sydney  live  a  tribe  of  Mic-Mac  Indians, 
who  support  themselves  by  making  baskets  and  other  utensils 
and  trinkets.  They  are  entirely  independent,  and  are  fairly 
intelligent.  The  chiefs  and  sages  of  the  tribe  dwell  in  little 
houses,  and  the  others  content  themselves  with  wigwams. 

We  took  in  a  supply  of  coal,  some  provisions,  and  live 
stock,  at  North  Sydney,  and  then  went  gayly  on  our  way, 
feeling  that  we  had  sufficient  resources  to  take  us  up  to  the 
North  Pole  and  back  again  if  need  be.  It  had  been  the 
original  intention  to  go  from  Sydney  through  the  straits  of 
Belle  Isle ;  but  so  much  ice  was  reported  that  Captain  Farrell 
made  his  course  around  Newfoundland  instead.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  Sunday,  July  15,  the  forbidding  and  frowning  coast  of 


MATE    MANUEL  AND    PILOT   DUMPHY. 


26  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

Newfoundland  loomed  up  before  us  through  a  fog.  As  one 
of  our  compasses  needed  repairing  it  was  decided  to  run  into 
the  capital  city,  St.  Johns,  in  order  to  have  the  necessary 
adjustments  made.  The  city  is  snugly  hidden  in  a  beautiful 
harbor  behind  high  hills,  and  is  a  sudden  revelation  after 
entering  the  narrow  channel  that  flows  into  the  harbor.  At 
the  mouth  of  this  channel  we  beheld  our  first  iceberg — a  very 
small  affair  when  compared  with  the  countless  numbers  that 
appeared  to  us  later ;  but  as  it  was  the  first  one,  and  as  we  had 
not  then  formed  standards  of  comparison,  the  baby  berg  cre- 
ated much  excitement,  if  not  enthusiasm. 

We  remained  at  St.  Johns  long  enough  for  the  party  to 
land  and  stretch  their  legs  for  a  few  hours.  The  city  pre- 
sents a  fine  appearance  from  the  harbor,  but  it  has  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  terrible  fire  which  swept  it  in  1892,  and 
whose  devastations  are  only  too  apparent  when  a  landing  has 
been  effected.  A  great  many  ruins  are  to  be  seen,  especially 
of  public  buildings  which  were  swept  away ;  temporary  and 
unsightly  small  wooden  structures  have  been  erected  until 
better  ones  come  in  course  of  time ;  for  St.  Johns  has  not 
risen  out  of  its  ashes  with  the  rapidity  of  Chicago  and  Boston  ; 
the  mills  of  God  grind  slowly  there,  and  the  rapidity  of  Yankee 
methods  is  unknown. 

At  St.  Johns,  though  we  were  there  but  a  few  hours,  we 
were  greeted  again  with  all  sorts  of  dire  prophecies  concern- 
ing our  folly  in  venturing  northward  in  an  iron  ship.  It  was, 
therefore,  a  considerable  relief  to  all  on  board  when  Dr.  Cook 
returned  from  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shore,  bringing  with  him  a 
veteran  ice-pilot  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Patrick  Dumphy,  who 
had  been  mate  of  the  Kite  on  Peary's  first  expedition  in 
search  of  the  Pole,  and  who  was  looked  upon  as  a  standard 
authority  on  Arctic  navigation.  Mr.  Dumphy's  services  had 
Ibeen  secured  as  ice-pilot,  and  he  proved  to  be  an  oracle,  some- 
thing upon  the  pattern  of  the  famous  Jack  Bunsby,  guide, 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA.  27 

philosopher,  and  friend  to  onr  old  friend  Captain  Cuttle. 
Mr.  Dumphy's  oracular  manner,  and  the  significant  nods 
that  accompanied  his  Delphic  utterances,  seemed  to  restore 
complete  confidence  to  the  hearts  of  the  timid  ones,  and  so  in 
high  feather  and  with  large  hopes  we  steamed  out  of  the  now 
moonlit  harbor,  out  into  the  open  sea. 

During  tlie  afternoon  I  had  seized  the  occasion  to  call  upon 
our  consul  at  St.  Johns,  Mr.  Molloy,  whom  I  found  to  be  a  very 
agreeable  gentleman.  He  has  been  stationed  at  his  present 
post  for  over  twenty  years,  and  has  served  longer  than  any 
other  American  consul.  He  had  known  all  the  Arctic 
explorers  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  and  had  many  in- 
teresting personal  recollections.  He  told  me  that  the  famous 
explorer  Hall,  who  at  one  time  was  supposed  to  have  been 
poisoned  by  some  of  his  crew,  really  died  of  eating  too  much 
cake.  He  was  inordinately  fond  of  cake,  and  ate  three  pounds 
of  a  rich  compound  one  night — a  feat  that  put  a  sudden  end 
to  his  explorations. 

As  I  was  returning  to  the  ship  after  my  visit  I  was  joined 
by  a  member  of  the  Newfoundland  Parliament,  McGrath 
(pronounced  McGraw)  by  name — a  jovial,  hearty  -  looking 
man,  who  came  on  board  and  entered  into  conversation  at 
once  with  a  party  gathered  there.  When  we  explained  our 
intention  of  entering  Melville  Bay  he  looked  both  surprised 
and  amused.  *'  Well,  well,"  he  remarked,  **  any  one  who 
would  go  to  the  Arctic  regions  for  amusement  would  go  to 
Sheol  for  recreation.''  Extremes  sometimes  meet,  but  though 
we  came  near  it,  perhaps,  we  did  not  finally  find  the  Arctic 
regions  a  gateway  to  that  eternally  warm  welcome  we  are  told 
awaits  the  unregenerate. 

Upon  invitation  I  accompanied  my  new-found  friend  on 
shore  again,  and  we  spent  some  time  in  discussing  the  peculiar 
state  of  Newfoundland  politics  over  an  excellent  bottle  of 
port  wine.     Then  we  strolled  through  the  main  thoroughfare 


28  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

of  St.  Johns.  A  pretty  girl  in  a  pony-chaise  drove  by,  and 
smiled  upon  us  beamingly.  My  friend,  who  was  deep  in 
politics,  did  not  observe ;  but  I  raised  my  hat  and  bowed. 
Then  the  M.  P.  looked  at  the  retreating  chaise,  and  eyed  me 
inquiringly.  "  I  am  a  worshipper  of  beauty,"  I  explained  ;  "  I 
always  bow  to  a  pretty  girl." 

**Um,"  said  he,  "that  was  my  wife." 

On  July  16,  the  day  after  leaving  St.  Johns,  we  passed  a 
seemingly  unending  procession  of  icebergs,  of  all  sizes  and 
shapes.  These  at  times  assume  most  beautiful  forms,  and 
seem  to  build  themselves  better  than  they  know.  In  par- 
ticular, I  shall  never  forget  the  striking  beauty  of  one  huge 
mass  of  ice  that  slowly  passed  us.  In  shape  it  resembled  the 
ruins  of  some  vast  and  magnificent  cathedral,  and  a  stately 
and  perfect  tower  rose  from  the  ruins  and  glinted  and  gleamed 
in  the  sun.  It  seemed  as  if  some  great  Arctic  Michael  Angelo 
must  have  spent  his  life  in  giving  shape  and  beauty  to  so 
grand  a  pile.  The  day  Avas  balmy  and  clear ;  'a  blue  Italian 
sky  hung  above  us,  and  it  was  a  perfect  delight  to  lie  lazily  in 
steamer-chairs  upon  the  deck  and  with  half-closed  eyes  dream- 
ily watch  the  gleaming  ghostly  procession  go  by.  One  of 
our  party  counted  one  hundred  and  fifty  icebergs  that  day. 
The  summer  of  1894  was  especially  prolific  in  icebergs. 
Wherever  we  touched  in  northern  latitudes  we  were  told  that 
never  had  there  been  seen,  within  the  memory  of  the  oldest 
inhabitants,  such  vast  quantities  of  ice.  It  is  now  generally 
understood  by  those  who  have  studied  far  northern  conditions 
that  an  unusually  early  prevalence  of  icebergs  in  low  latitudes 
indicates  a  preceding  hard  winter  in  Arctic  circles,  and  that 
the  region  of  the  northern  ice-cap  is  particularly  dangerous. 
Our  own  experiences,  and  the  disasters  that  overtook  Wellman 
and  Jackson  during  the  summer  of  1894,  all  go  to  confirm 
this  theory. 

An  iceberg  at  a  convenient  distance  is  a  magnificent  sight ; 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE    MIRANDA.  29 

it  is  a  thing  of  beauty  that  adds  a  real  charm  to  the  monotonous 
expanse  of  the  sea;  but  distance  lends  enchantment  to  the 
view,  as  we  discovered  on  the  following  morning. 

It  was  foggy  now,  very  foggy,  and  we  were  bowling  along 
at  a  speed  of  about  seven  knots,  on  the  morning  of  July  17. 
It  was  after  breakfast,  and  a  quarter  after  eight  o'clock.  I  was 
standing  on  deck  talking  to  Dr.  Cook  and  Mr.  Kersting,  when 
suddenly  the  signal  to  reverse  the  engine  was  given.  Simul- 
taneously we  looked  forward,  and  through  the  dense  fog  there 
loomed  an  immense  mass  of  ice  directly  ahead.  It  was  too 
large  a  berg  to  give  us  time  to  clear  it ;  there  was  nothing  to 
be  done  but  to  strike  it  full  and  square.  My  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  that  great  pile  of  ice  with  a  strange  fascination  ; 
there  was  hardly  time  to  think  or  to  have  the  feeling  of 
fear  communicated  to  the  brain  before,  with  a  great  crash, 
we  struck  the  awful  wall  of  ice  before  us.  The  iron  prow  of 
the  ship  ran  right  into  the  berg  fully  seven  feet,  and  the  ice, 
crumbling  and  breaking  from  the  shock,  fell  in  a  great 
shower  upon  the  forward  deck.  The  reverse  action  of  the 
propeller  now  began  to  draw  us  away  from  the  berg,  and  the 
Miranda  backed  and  careened  to  one  side  ;  there  was  a  ter- 
rible moment  of  suspense,  and  then  the  vessel  righted  itself. 
A  cry  arose  to  lower  the  boats,  and  many  rushed  to  get  them 
in  readiness.  All  this  took  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it. 
I  had  last  seen  my  young  charge,  Carl  Garrison,  in  our  cabin, 
just  forward  of  the  dining-room,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
cleaning  his  rifle — a  favorite  pastime  of  his  on  dull  days,  and 
one  that  brought  to  him  dreams  of  the  polar  bear  and  the  wal- 
rus that  would  fall  by  it  later  on.  Naturally,  I  immediately 
went  below  to  hunt  for  him,  and  as  I  passed  through  the 
dining-room  I  caught  sight  of  Commodore  Gardner  coolly 
finishing  his  breakfast,  as  if  unaware  of  the  terrific  shock  that 
had  made  havoc  with  the  plates  and  dishes.  I  caught  sight 
of  other  forms  also,  rushing  about  in  wild  confusion.     Cap- 


30 


THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    MTRAKDA. 


taia  Farrell  came  flying  down  and  ordered  all  hands  on  deck. 
I  passed  quickly  forward  of  the  saloon  to  look  for  Carl,  and 
was  greatly  relieved  to  find  that  no  water  was  leaking  in. 
Carl  was  not  below,  so  I  seized  two  overcoats  from  our  cabin 
and  speedily  made  my  way  on  deck  again,  where  I  found  my 
charge  looking  quite  cool,  as  he  had  a  right  to  look,  being  sur- 
rounded by  a  lot  of 
broken  ice.   Indeed, 
there  was    no    real 
panic,  and  for  a  lot 

of     hitherto     inex-  .  ^ 

perienced  Arctic 
explorers  the  party 
as  a  whole  certainly 
behaved  re- 
markably 
well.  It 
wasquickly 


r^K 


ICEBERG. 


ascertained  that  notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  shock 
the  damage  that  had  been  done  was  not  so  serious  as  to 
endanger  the  ship.  This,  of  course,  was  a  great  relief  to 
every  one  on  board ;  for  it  would  have  been  an  inauspicious 
day  to  have  taken  to  the  boats,  on  account  of  the  very  heavy 
fog  all  around  us.     We  had  fortunately  struck  a  projecting 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  31 

portion  of  the  berg  above  our  water-line,  so  that  the  blow 
came  upon  the  upper  starboard  bow-plates ;  three  of  these  were 
cracked  or  stove  in,  the  hole  running  upward  from  about 
fifteen  feet  above  the  water-line.  It  was  a  great  piece  of 
luck  that  we  did  not  strike  the  great  mass  of  ice  below  the 
water  which  forms  by  far  the  greater  part  of  an  iceberg,  the 
proportion  of  ice  under  the  water  to  that  above  it  being  about 
eight  to  one.  It  was  the  projecting  ice  above  that  saved  us 
from  tearing  out  the  bottom  of  the  ship  by  striking  the  vast 
mass  below ;  had  we  hit  upon  this,  my  readers  would  have 
been  spared  this  narrative. 

As  the  Miranda  steamed  cautiously  forward  again  we 
passed  close  to  the  berg  that  had  so  nearly  caused  our  ruin, 
and  it  certainly  was  an  awe-inspiring  mass  of  ice — perhaps 
a  thousand  feet  in  length  and  upward  of  two  hundred  feet 
high.  We  could  see  the  hole  that  we  had  made,  smeared 
as  if  with  blood,  from  red  paint  about  the  prow  of  the 
Miranda.  Slowly  the  great  berg  disappeared  into  the  fog, 
which  had  somewhat  lifted,  and  we  were  much  relieved  to 
get  out  of  its  dangerous  proximity.  There  were  plenty  more 
of  its  companions,  however,  silently  and  slowly  moving  south- 
ward, so  that  a  sharp  lookout  was  kept  as  we  went  onward 
toward  Cape  Charles  harbor,  on  the  Labrador  coast,  about 
twenty-five  miles  away,  and  the  nearest  port  to  put  in  for  re- 
pairs. A  meeting  of  the  passengers  was  called  soon  after 
the  collision,  and  it  was  decided  to  put  in  to  Cape  Charles  for 
repairs,  and  then  continue  on  our  journey.  We  reached 
Cape  Cliarles  early  in  the  afternoon  ;  but  as  we  had  a  variety 
of  experiences  and  adventures  before  we  again  put  out  from 
this  port,  it  will  be  well  to  relate  them  in  a  succeeding 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  II. 


It  was  early  in  the  afternoon  of  Jnly 
17  that  we  steamed  slowly  into  the 
harbor  of  Cape  Charles,  on  the  bleak 
coast  of  Labrador.  High  barren  hills 
rose  all  around  us,  destitute  of  vegeta- 
tion for  the  most  part,  except  that  here 
and  there  a  kindly  moss  covered  their 
nakedness  ;  a  few  small  houses  of  fisher- 
men perched  on  rocks  constituted  the 
settlement.  Not  a  very  inviting  shore, 
but  still  it  was  not  long  before  we  were 
upon  it ;  for  it  was  always  a  delight 
to  leave  the  cramped  quarters  on  our 
vessel  and  be  able  to  stretch  our  legs  with  freedom.  It 
did  not  take  us  long  to  form  the  acquaintance  of  most 
of  the  population  of  Cape  Charles,  because  the  population 
consists  only  of  a  half-dozen  families,  augmented  some- 
what in  the  fishing  season  by  a  few  fishermen  from 
Newfoundland.  In  the  winter  time  the  people  literally 
take  to  the  woods — that  is,  they  retire  into  winter  quarters 
in  some  woods  about  nine  miles  away.  Very  simple,  very 
monotonous,  and  very  dull  is  the  life  of  a  Labrador  fisher- 
man. He  fishes  and  he  eats  and  he  sleeps,  and  that  tells 
about  the  whole  story.  He  is  always  in  debt  to  the  company 
that  runs  the  fisheries,  and  so  he  can  sell  his  fish  only  to  the 
company,  who  take  care  to  keep  him  in  debt  by  charging  him 
very  high  prices  for  his  few  necessaries  of  life.  I  sat  fre- 
quently by  the  fireside  of  one  family  in  particular,  by  the 
name  of  Pye,  with  whom  I  ingratiated  myself  by  presenting 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


33 


a  few  copies  of  old  magazines,  which  I  could  see  were  highly 
appreciated,  for  literature  is  very  scarce  at  Cape  Charles,  and 
these  magazines  will  probably  become  family  heirlooms. 
From  chatting  with  this  family  I  learned  that  this  is  the  modus 
Vivendi  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  regions  :  The  men  fish  in 
summer,  of  course,  and  in  the  fall  they  chop  and  saw  wood,  and 


THE    PYE    FAMILY. 

do  odd  jobs  of  various  kinds  in  preparation  for  the  rigors  of  the 
winter  ;  in  winter  they  mend  nets  and  boats,  and  thus  prepare 
for  summer,  or  the  fishing  season,  for  there  is  no  spring  worth 
speaking  of  ;  the  ice  blocks  them  until  June.  They  hunt  in 
the  winter  also,  and  set  their  traps  ;  and  this  is  their  chief  ex- 
citement, as  also  their  chief  means  for  procuring  food.  The 
principal  game  consists  of  rabbits,  ptarmigan,  spruce  par- 


34  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 

tridges,  porcupine,  and  deer.  The  men  build  little  cabins 
about  the  deer-hunting  grounds  in  the  interior,  and  from  them 
they  will  start  out  in  the  very  early  morning  and  hunt  all  day 
long,  and  tramp  for  forty  or  fifty  miles  over  hills  and  gorges, 
carrying  with  them  but  the  scantiest  supply  of  food.  They 
will  sometimes  remain  in  these  cabins,  and  continue  this  sort 
of  a  life,  despite  all  kinds  of  inclement  weather,  for  a  month  at 
a  time.  Deer  are  not  plentiful,  and  are  hard  to  get,  but  the 
porcupine  is  found  in  greater  numbers  and  is  easily  killed. 
The  Canadian  porcupine  is  an  animal  more  or  less  peculiar  to 
this  region.  It  comes  out  of  its  hiding-places  in  winter  and  is 
easily  tracked  in  the  snow.  Its  food  is  the  berry  and  the  bark 
of  trees,  which  it  gnaws  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be  easily  recog- 
nized by  the  hunter.  When  overtaken  on  the  ground  it  rolls 
itself  up  in  a  ball  and  erects  its  spines  for  a  defence  ;  when 
pursued  it  shows  great  agility  in  taking  to  the  tree-tops.  The 
lives  of  the  women,  as  is  generally  the  case  everywhere,  are  more 
monotonous  and  confined  than  those  of  the  men.  They  stay  at 
home  and  cook,  and  make  all  the  clothes  and  boots.  These  lat- 
ter are  made  of  sealskin,  and  very  good  boots  they  are,  too ;  and 
some  of  the  women  help  in  cleaning  and  preparing  the  fish, 
which  are  salted  away  in  the  storehouses.  Of  course,  they  do 
some  fancy-work  also.  Is  there  a  spot  on  the  face  of  the 
globe  where  the  women  do  not  do  fancy-work  in  some  form  or 
other  ?  It  is  one  of  the  prerogatives  and  a  universal  habit  of 
the  sex,  and  one  deserving  of  every  encouragement.  Barren 
as  are  the  interiors  of  the  little  houses  in  Labrador,  they  are 
still  relieved  by  bits  of  color,  which  the  women  weave  into 
appropriate  forms.  Hassocs,  watch-cases,  pouches,  and  cush- 
ions are  the  main  forms  that  fancy-work  takes  in  Labrador. 
The  hassocs  are  a  series  of  pockets  made  out  of  long  strips  of 
cloth  and  prettily  set  off  with  ribbons  and  beadwork  in  a  vari- 
ety of  ways  according  to  the  taste  of  the  maker.  Of  course, 
in  so  sparsely  settled  and  busy  a  place   there   can  be  little 


36  THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

general  intercourse  or  social  amusements.  A  dance  takes 
place  occasionally,  and  this  is  always  a  great  event.  We  had 
a  dance  during  our  stay,  which  was  quite  a  unique  affair;  but 
the  native  ladies  were  shy  of  dancing  with  us,  and  our  dances 
were  strange  to  them,  so  our  mainstays  were  the  two  Eskimo 
girls,  Mary  and  Clara,  who  were  quite  equal  to  the  occasion, 
and  enjoyed  exceedingly  being  the  belles  of  the  ball.  Our 
orchestra  was  the  old  man  Peter,  the  father  of  the  girls,  who 
played  the  fiddle  ;  so  it  was  mainly  the  Eskimos  who  kept  the 
ball  rolling.  We  danced  by  the  light  of  a  few  dim  lanterns 
in  a  little  storehouse  whose  floor  was  so  slippery  with  cod- 
liver  oil  that  we  had  to  throw  salt  upon  it  to  increase  the 
friction,  and  enable  us  to  retain  our  equilibrium.  All  the 
elite  of  Cape  Charles  attended,  which  added  to  the  group  of 
wallflowers  very  materially,  and  encroached  upon  the  dancing 
space.  It  was  a  remarkable  scene  altogether,  and  our  pho- 
tographer, Mr.  Kersting,  took  an  excellent  flash-light  picture 
of  it ;  but,  alas  !  this,  together  with  a  vast  number  of  other 
photographs,  many  of  them  of  scenes  and  places  never  before 
seen  by  white  men,  went  down  with  the  unfortunate  Miranda. 

Of  course,  our  vessel  was  an  object  of  great  interest  to  the 
Cape  Charles  people :  so  large  a  steamer  had  never  been 
there  before.  We  were  as  popular  as  a  circus  in  the  rural 
districts  of  the  United  States,  and  the  men  brought  their 
wives  and  children  over  to  look  at  the  wonders  of  the  ship, 
and  to  see  the  sheep  on  board — natural  curiosities  which 
were  much  admired  and  never  before  seen  in  that  place. 
One  old  fellow  was  very  much  struck  with  the  ice-water 
cooler ;  he  thought  it  the  most  remarkable  piece  of  mechan- 
ism that  he  had  ever  seen,  and  never  tired  of  standing  by  it 
and  watching  people,  as  they  drew  a  glass  of  water,  with 
open-mouthed  admiration. 

There  was  always  quite  a  collection  of  small  fishing  craft 
which  kept  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Miranda,  in  wait  for 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  37 

any  fishing  parties  that  might  be  going  out.  It  was  diffi- 
cult to  know  what  to  pay  the  fishermen  for  their  services, 
as  the  general  medium  of  exchange  throughout  Labrador  is 
trade ;  money  is  seldom  used,  and  its  relative  value  is  but 
dimly  appreciated.  As  the  natives  do  not  know  well  the 
value  of  their  own  money,  American  money  caused  great  con- 
fusion among  them  ;  they  took  it,  but  they  could  not  dis- 
tinguish denominations — a  one-dollar  bill  meant  as  much  to 
them  as  a  ten. 

Cod  is  the  staple  fish  along  the  Labrador  coast.  They 
can  be  hauled  up  almost  anywhere,  and  though  a  mess  of 
fresh  cod  is  by  no  means  to  be  despised,  still  the  catching 
of  them  is  not  very  fascinating  sport.  We  do  not  care  for 
anything  in  life  that  is  too  easily  acquired — and  cod  is  so  dead 
easy  !  However,  the  fishermen  do  not  take  this  point  of  view — 
the  easier  the  fishing,  and  the  more  that  come  to  their  nets,  the 
merrier ;  and  so  cod  is  a  very  popular  fish  about  Labrador. 
Indeed,  in  the  local  vernacular,  cod  alone  is  fish,  salmon 
is  salmon,  herring  is  herring,  and  trout  is  trout;  but  cod  is 
fish,  and  notiiing  else  is  called  fish.  Such  is  the  devotion  to 
cod  at  Cape  Charles  that  the  fishermen  seem  to  swear  by  it, 
for  I  often  heard  them  mutter  something  that  sounded  very 
much  like  "  By  Cod  !  " 

But  there  is  plenty  of  other  sport  besides  cod -fishing. 
There  is,  I  was  informed,  excellent  duck-shooting  all  along 
the  coast  in  the  spring  and  autumn.  Eider-ducks  abound, 
as  do  guillemots,  puffin,  murres,  and  auks.  These  birds 
collect  by  the  thousands,  and  will  keep  the  sportsman  just  as 
busy  as  he  pleases.  In  July,  during  our  brief  stay,  we  found 
the  guillemot  particularly  abundant,  and  quite  a  number  of 
these  birds  were  bagged.  It  is  a  very  pretty  bird,  a  glossy 
black,  with  carmine  legs  and  beak,  but  rather  hard  to  kill, 
because  it  dives  at  the  flash  ;  it  is  very  quick  and  nimble, 
and  can  swim  a  great  distance  under  water.     When  hit,  it 


38  THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 

does  not  give  up  the  ghost  easily,  but  will,  unless  struck  in  a 
vital  part,  dive,  and  often  several  charges  will  have  to  be 
pumped  into  it  before  it  can  be  captured.  On  the  wing,  it 
flies  rapidly,  but  low  and  straight.  From  behind  a  ledge  in  a 
neighborhood  where  these  birds  congregate,  one  can  get  excel- 
lent wing-shooting.  Later  on,  we  came  across  numbers  of 
guillemot  along  the  fiords  of  Greenland. 

Once  in  a  while  in  the  winter  a  polar  bear  comes  floating 
down  to  Cape  Charles,  and  is  sure  to  be  given  a  warm  recep- 
tion.    A  splendid   specimen  kindly  brought  his  skin  down 
with  him  and  left  it  on  the  Labrador  coast  in  the  winter  of 
1894.     The  entire  male  population  turned  out  to  greet  him, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  poor  bruin  was  overtaken,  flounder- 
ing about  helplessly  in  the  snow,  and  he  was  easily  induced 
to  part  with  his  hide.     Dr.  Cook  purchased  the  skin  from  one 
of  the  fishermen,  and  it  is  now  hanging  up  in  the  fore-cabin 
of  the  Miranda,  very  safe  from  rats,  but  perhaps  food  for  fishes. 
Battle  Harbor  lies  across  the  bay  from  Cape  Charles,  a  dis- 
tance of  five  or  six  miles.     I  could  never  get  a  satisfactory 
explanation  of  why  it  was  called  Battle  Harbor,  for  several 
old  inhabitants  whom  I  interviewed  all  had  different  stories 
to  tell,  although  they  all  agreed  that  a  battle  had  been  fought 
there  in  very  early  times.     Some  said  the  battle  was  between 
the  English  and  Eskimos,  others  betAveen  the  English  and  In- 
dians, and  still  others  held  that  the  battle  was  fought  between 
Indians  and  Eskimos.     The  settlement  is  a  very  important 
place,  viewed  from   the   Labrador   standpoint ;    it   contains 
about  fifty  houses,  and  a  mail  steamer  calls  every  fortnight 
during  the  summer  from  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.     Like 
most   of  the   Labrador  settlements,  its  population   consists 
principally  of  dogs.     There  are  at  least  a  dozen  dogs  to  each 
family,  and  one  cannot  enter  a  house  without  walking  over  a 
number  of  them.     Luckily,  they  are  good-natured  and  kindly 
disposed  toward  strangers,  as  are  their  masters.    We  made  up 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE  MIRANDA.  39 

a  small  party  and  went  over  to  Battle  Harbor  in  a  couple  of 
lifeboats,  rowing  past  some  very  interesting  stranded  icebergs 
on  the  way.  "With  Dr.  R.  M.  Cramer  I  subsequently  rowed 
under  one  of  these  bergs,  and  though  we  got  an  ice-cold 
shower-bath  from  the  constant  drip  overhead,  we  were  well  re- 
paid. There  were  numerous  caverns  opening  a  few  feet  above 
the  water,  and  into  one  of  these  we  rowed.  Its  dome  and  sides 
were  of  a  gorgeous  blue,  and  the  ice  beneath  the  wonderfully 
clear  water  gleamed  and  glinted  from  below  :  it  seemed  like 
the  entrance  to  a  fairv  structure,  and  we  almost  looked  for  a 


A    STRANDED    BERG. 

mermaid  to  arise  to  guide  us  through  the  labyrinths  of  this 
wonderful  ice-palace. 

At  Battle  Harbor  we  were  hospitably  entertained  by  the 
agent  of  the  owners  of  the  fisheries,  Mr.  Hall,  who  introduced 
us  to  a  favorite  Labrador  drink  made  from  a  mixture  of  spruce- 
beer  and  rum.  Spruce-beer  is  a  very  popular  drink  in  Labra- 
dor, and  every  well-regulated  family  keeps  a  supply  on  hand  ; 
rum  is  also  popular,  but  rarer. 

There  is  a  neat  little  hospitid  in  the  place,  supported 
by  the   English    Missions   to    the   Deep    Sea  Fisheries;     it 


40 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF    THE    MIRANDA. 


is  under  the  charge  of  a  bright -faced  young  English 
nurse,  who  has  a  native  assistant.  A  young  doctor  is  sent 
over  during  the  summer  season,  but  returns  to  England 
for  the  winter.  The  brave  young  nurse  stays  all  the 
year  round,  notwithstanding  the  rigors  of  the  winter  season, 
and  acts  the  part  of  both  nurse  and  doctor  during  the  long 
months  when  the  ice  has  cut  off  all  communication  with  the 
outer  world.  A  few  of  us  greatly  enjoyed  an  impromptu 
afternoon  tea  gotten  up  for  us  by  the  nurse,  in  which  the 
doctor  participated  ;  indeed,  we  were  entertained  by  an  angel 
unawares,  for  some  staunch  hot  buns  and  comfortable  sand- 
wiches that  we  ate  stood  us  in  lieu  of  the  dinner  we  expected 
to  have  on  the  Miranda;    for  it  was   many  hours  before 

we  tasted  food 
again.  This 
was  the  reason  : 
When  we  start- 
ed on  the  return 
trip  the  wind 
was  so  strong, 
and  the  waves 
were  running 
so  high,  that  we 
decided  to  skirt 
around  some 
islands  and  to 
get  back  to  the 
ship  by  a  much 
longer  but  more 
sheltered  route. 
"The  longest  way  round  is  the  shortest  way  home,"  says 
an  old  saw  ;  but  I  have  never  known  it  to  work.  After 
rowing  for  miles,  with  the  waves  dashing  over  us  every 
now  and  then,  we  found  it  impossible  to  make  any  headway 


THE    DESERT   ISLAND. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA.  41 

against  wind  and  tide  in  trying  to  round  a  point,  and 
were  obliged  to  put  in  to  shore  upon  a  desert  island — a 
bleak  and  barren  spot,  offering  but  little  shelter.  We  gathered 
some  scrubby  underbrush,  however,  and  stretched  ourselves, 
thoroughly  tired  out  with  our  struggles  with  wind  and  wave 
and  oar,  around  the  fire  that  we  built.  Spasmodic  attempts 
were  made  to  keep  up  a  cheerful  conversation ;  but  as  there 
was  nothing  to  eat  or  drink,  and  as  most  of  us  were  pretty 
well  drenched,  it  would  have  taxed  Mark  Tapley  himself  to 
have  kept  up  an  appearance  of  jollity.  There  was  a  sense  of 
desolateness  about  the  place  hard  to  describe,  while  the  wind 
moaned  dismally  over  it. 

"  — A  wind  that  shrills 
Over  a  waste  land,  where  no  one  comes, 
Or  has  come  since  the  making  of  the  world." 

The  moon  rose  cold  and  clear,  and  looked  down  upon  a 
dejected  and  shivering  group  huddled  around  a  flickering  fire. 
It  was  cold,  very  cold,  and  the  wind  still  blew,  and  the  great 
waves  dashed  against  the  rocky  shore.  At  length,  some  time 
after  midnight,  there  came  a  lull  in  the  tempest,  and  we 
gladly  took  to  our  boats  again.  It  was  a  long,  hard  pull 
against  wind  and  tide  ;  but  very  beautiful  seemed  the  barren, 
rocky  islands  in  the  now  bright  moonlight,  and  the  sky  up 
above  was  a  wonder  and  a  revelation,  with  the  great  northern 
lights  ever  and  anon  streaming  over  it,  then  dimming  and 
dying,  then  flashing  out  again  in  long,  shining  clouds  that  lit 
up  earth  and  sky.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before 
we  reached  our  home  on  the  rolling  deep,  and  never  did  the 
Miranda's  lights  seem  more  welcome  to  us  than  when  they 
gleamed  over  the  waters  in  the  gray  dawn  of  that  morning. 

Later  on  that  day,  July  21,  a  communication  from  Captain 
Farrell  was  read  by  Dr.  Cook  to  the  assembled  members  of 
the  expedition.     This  stated  that  it  would  be  necessary  to 


42  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

return  to  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland,  for  more  permanent 
repairs.  Temporary  repairs  had  been  completed,  but  as  there 
were  no  extra  plates  on  board,  nor  any  way  of  procuring  such, 
the  engineers  had  cut  a  plate  from  the  iron  protection  sur- 
rounding the  forward  hatch,  between  the  upper  and  main 
decks  ;  but  as  tools  were  lacking  to  cut  this  plate  properly,  it 
so  covered  the  hawser  pipe  as  to  render  the  starboard  anchor 
unavailable.  Therefore,  Captain  Farrell  deemed  it  unsafe  to 
proceed  northward,  and  theie  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to 
beat  a  retreat 'to  St.  Johns  and  remain  there  until  satisfactory 
repairs  could  be  completed.  This  was  very  discouraging  to 
all ;  but  we  had  to  bow  to  the  inevitable. 

Five  of  our  party  had  already  made  up  their  minds  to  give 
up  the  trip,  and  had  started  on  a  hunting  jaunt  toward  the 
interior  of  Labrador.  These  were  the  Messrs.  C.  P.  and 
T.  J.  Lineaweaver,  and  R.  DeP.  Tytns,  of  Yale  College ; 
Walter  S.  Root,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  S.  G.  Tenney,  of  Wil- 
liamstown,  Mass.  The  party  camped  in  the  Labrador  woods 
for  seventeen  days,  and  enjoyed  excellent  sport  both  with  gun 
and  rod.  They  captured  one  bear  and  several  lynxes,  and 
shot  great  quantities  of  grouse  and  other  small  game.  One 
of  the  party,  Mr.  Tytus,  had  quite  an  experience  with  a  lynx. 
He  shot  it  and  thought  that  it  was  dead,  but  on  approaching 
the  supposed  corpse  the  lynx  suddenly  sprang  upon  him  and  tore 
his  clothes  to  shreds  before  it  received  its  final  coup  de  grace. 
On  their  return  along  the  coast  the  party  shot  a  number  of 
seal  and  guillemots.  In  the  Labrador  streams  they  found 
trout  and  salmon, — trout  exceedingly  plentiful, — and  caught 
them  in  such  quantities  that,  as  one  of  the  party  said  to  me 
on  a  chance  meeting  in  New  York,  "  AVe  are  afraid  to  talk  in 
figures — everybody  would  think  we  were  simply  telling  fish 
stories." 

One  discomfort  of  the  short  summer  season  in  Labrador 
is  the  extraordinary  variations  of  temperature.     The  party 


44  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

had  a  thermometer  with  them,  which  would  stand  at  per- 
haps below  the  freezing-point  early  in  the  morning,  but  by 
high  noon  the  mercury  sometimes  mounted  upward  of  a  hun- 
dred degrees  in  the  sun.  None  of  the  party,  however,  suf- 
fered any  ill  effects.  They  enjoyed  perfect  health,  and  were 
greatly  pleased  with  their  outing. 

On  the  evening  of  July  21  Professor  Hite  and  his  party, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Howard  Bucknell,  George  M.  Coates, 
and  Gr.  H.  Perkins,  of  Philadelphia,  left  the  ship  to  start 
upon  their  journey  into  the  interior  of  Labrador.  Professor 
Hite's  original  intention  had  been  to  land  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Kigolette,  but  the  iceberg  incident  caused  him  to 
make  a  change  of  plan.  As  the  small  party  of  explorers 
rowed  away  from  the  ship  in  two  little  skiffs,  towing  their 
tents  and  provisions  in  tenders  behind  them,  they  were  given 
three  rousing  cheers. 

The  party  made  their  way  to  Independent  Harbor  on  the 
regular  mail-boat  which  runs  during  the  summer  from  Cape 
Charles.  From  there  they  secured  passage  in  a  small  boat  to 
Separation  Point,  a  narrow  point  of  land  separating  the  White 
Bear  from  the  Eagle  Eiver.  Here  a  cache  was  made  for  pro- 
visions, and  the  party  started  to  explore  the  White  Bear 
Eiver.  On  the  second  day  they  came  to  a  cataract  sixty  feet 
in  height.  Mr.  Bucknell  had  been  taken  quite  ill,  so  a  camp 
was  pitched  at  the  foot  of  the  falls,  and  he  was  left  in 
the  care  of  Mr.  Coates,  while  Professor  Hite  and  Mr.  Perkins 
continued  the  exploration  of  the  river,  which  they  ascended  a 
distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth.  The 
river  terminated  in  a  chain  of  small  lakes.  Upon  returning 
to  the  camp  Mr.  Bucknell's  condition  had  not  improved,  and 
he  was  sent  over  to  Cartwright,  the  most  southern  and  eastern 
Hudson  Bay  trading-post  on  the  Labrador  shore.  The  other 
members  of  the  party  then  continued  the  exploration  of  the 
Eagle  and  Paradise  rivers.     On  the  banks  of  the  Paradise 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  45 

River  they  found  an  abundance  of  plants  not  noted  in  the 
more  mountainous  districts,  and  they  also  came  across  a  great 
many  species  of  water-birds.  They  procured  a  number  of 
seal  along  this  river,  and  found  abundance  of  trout.  On  the 
north  side  of  Sandwich  Bay,  on  a  mountain  nineteen  hundred 
feet  in  height,  quite  a  number  of  caribou  were  seen,  and  some 
of  them  secured.  The  party  obtained  in  all  thirty-nine  species 
of  mammals  and  seventy-seven  species  of  birds,  all  of  which, 
with  the  exception  of  two,  are  listed  by  Professor  Packard  in 
his  work  "  The  Labrador  Coast."  Mr.  Coates  made  a  large 
collection  of  plants,  and  five  species  of  butterflies  not  men- 
tioned by  Professor  Packard  were  procured.  The  party  left 
Cartwright  on  September  14  for  Pilley's  Island,  off  the  New- 
foundland coast,  and  there  caught  the  steamer  Sylvia  for 
Xew  York,  where  they  arrived  on  September  30,  very  nearly 
three  months  from  the  date  of  the  start. 

The  party  of  Eskimos  also  left  us  to  take  the  mail  steamer 
at  Battle  Harbor  and  go  onward  to  Rigolette;  and  still  another 
party  silently  stole  away  in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning. 
This  was  composed  of  Robert  D.  Perry,  of  Phillipston,  Mass.  ; 
William  Bryce,  Jr.,  of  New  York,  and  Dr.  Willis  A.  Reeve, 
of  Patchogue,  L.  I.  These  three  men  suddenly  made  up 
their  minds  that  night  to  take  the  bird  in  the  hand,  and 
make  sure  of  some  hunting  in  Labrador,  rather  than  take 
the  risk  of  being  dry-docked  in  St.  Johns.  They  pushed 
their  way  onward  toward  Rigolette,  enjoyed  some  excellent 
sport  in  this  vicinity,  and  got  safely  back  to  New  York 
somewhat  in  advance  of  the  party  they  had  left  behind. 

A  heavy  fog  had  closed  about  the  Miranda,  but  early  in 
the  morning  of  the  22d  it  lifted  sufficiently  to  enable  the  ship 
to  start  on  its  retreat  to  St.  Johns.  All  day  long,  however, 
progress  was  very  slow ;  for  the  fog  descended  again  like  a 
curtain,  and  now  and  then  the  ghostly  shapes  of  huge  ice- 
bergs could  be  dimly  discerned.     The  passengers  made  up  a 


46 


THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


watch  among  themselves  that  night  to  supplement  the  regu- 
lar watch.  It  fell  to  my  lot  to  watch  from  two  till  three  in 
the  morning.  This  was  one  of  the  longest  hours  I  ever  spent, 
on  account  of  the  dull  monotony  of  straining  the  eyes  to 
seaward  and  seeing  nothing ;  not  an  iceberg  loomed  in  sight. 


ICEBERG. 

Once,  when  the  fog  had  lifted  a  trifle,  some  commotion 
was  excited  by  the  sailor  who  was  on  watch  with  me  singing 
out:  *'A  light  on  the  starboard  bow!"  Immediately  the 
fog-whistle  was  set  to  blowing,  and  Mr.  Dumphy,  the  ice- 
pilot,  came  rushing  forward.  "Where's  the  light?"  said  he. 
"Over  there,"  said  the  sailor.     "Humph  !"  said  Pilot  Dum- 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE  MIEAXDA. 


47 


phy,  after  gazing  intently  for  a  minute  or  so,  "  that's  nothing 
but  a  star,"  and  lie  went  back  to  his  perch  by  the  wheel- 
house  much  disgruntled. 

Later  in  tlie  day  the  fog  lifted  entirely,  and  we  were 
enabled  to  proceed  at  full  speed.  We  passed  many  icebergs 
on  the  way,  and  by  midnight  we  were  once  more  anchored 
safe  and  sound  in  the  landlocked  harbor  of  St.  Johns. 


■•^^J^iMlfi 


CHAPTER  III. 


It  seemed  like  an  old  story 
to  be  back  at  St.  Johns  again, 
for  though  we  had  stopped 
there  but  a  few  hours  when 
going  to  the  northward,  yet 
both  harbor  and  city  are  apt 
to  impress  themselves  upon 
one  at  a  glance  and  to  remain 
fixed  in  one's  memory.  Of  course,  our  second  arrival  created 
no  little  excitement,  especially  after  the  news  of  the  collision 
with  the  iceberg  had  circulated  through  the  town,  and  the 
prophets  gathered  about  us  and  reminded  us  of  their  warnings. 
The  realization  of  a  dire  prophecy  is  the  greatest  happiness  that 
can  come  to  the  heart  of  a  prophet,  and  so  our  return  brought 
exceeding  great  Joy  to  several  of  the  local  seers. 

As  we  knew  that  we  were  in  for  a  stay  of  several  days,  we 
proceeded  to  enjoy  ourselves  as  much  as  possible,  and  were 
aided  and  abetted  in  these  efforts  by  a  number  of  the  kind 
and  hospitable  citizens  of  St.  Johns.  The  doors  of  the  City 
Club — the  principal  social  club — were  thrown  open  to  us,  and 
this  became  a  headquarters  and  general  meeting- place  for  the 
members  of  the  expedition.  Here  were  fine,  large  reading- 
rooms,  in  which  we  found  all  the  leading  American  magazines 
and  papers,  a  beautiful  billiard-room,  and  an  excellent  cafe. 
Those  only  who  have  been  cooped  up  in  the  narrow  confines 
of  a  ship  can  appreciate  the  comfort  that  such  a  club  can 
bring. 

St.  Johns  is  a  capital  place  to  spend  the  midsummer  in. 
It  is  cool   and   pleasant,  and   has   charming  surroundings. 


The  last  cruise  of  The  miranda.  49 

Within  its  confines  is  a  fine  sheet  of  fresh  water  ;  Quidi  Vidi 
Lake  it  is  called,  or  rather  it  is  spelled  that  way,  and  com- 
monly called  Kitty  Viddy.  The  lake  is  admirably  adapted 
for  aquatic  sports,  and  here  annual  regattas  take  place  in  the 
month  of  August,  and  are,  I  am  told,  very  exciting  affairs, 
attended  by  the  entire  population. 


ON    THE    ROAD    TO    TOPSAIL. 

About  a  dozen  miles  from  St.  Johns  is  one  of  the  most 
charming  resorts  that  it  has  ever  been  my  good  fortune  to 
visit.  It  is  known  as  Topsail  Beach.  There  are  no  large 
hotels  there — in  fact,  no  hotels  at  all,  but  only  several  small  but 
neat  and  pretty  inns,  or  boarding-houses  ;  for  Topsail  yet  awaits 
the  magic  touch  of  capital  to  broadly  popularize  it.  As  it  is, 
nature  has  been  very  lavish  to  the  place,  and  its  situation  and 


50  THE  LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 

the  country  surrounding  it  are  very  beautiful.  I  ran  out  there 
one  fine  Saturday  afternoon  with  Professor  Freeman,  under 
the  escort  of  Mr.  McGrath,  the  bright  young  editor  of  the 
St.  Johns  Herald,  who  gave  us  much  information  about 
Newfoundland  in  general  on  the  way.  The  train  was 
crowded  with  excursionists  running  out  for  an  afternoon's  or 
a  Sunday's  outing  ;  and  a  very  bright,  healthy,  happy -looking 
lot  of  people  they  were.  The  ride  afforded  us  many  pretty 
glimpses  of  lake  and  woodland,  but  these  were  to  be  eclipsed  by 
the  first  view  of  Topsail.  It  is  situated  on  a  magnificent  bay 
called  Conception,  so  named  by  the  pious  Portuguese  navi- 
gator, Gaspar  Cortereal,  in  the  year  1500 — a  beautiful 
sheet  of  water  gently  rolling  in  upon  a  pebbly  beach.  The 
surrounding  country  is  wild  and  rugged,  and  the  combination 
of  hills  and  forests  and  sea  makes  up  an  ideal  resort,  whether 
one  wishes  merely  to  loaf  and  enjoy  his  soul,  or  to  hunt  in 
the  woodlands,  or  fish  upon  the  sea.  We  took  supper  at  one 
of  the  little  inns,  which  had  a  number  of  small  dining-rooms, 
so  that  parties  could  sup  together  without  intrusion,  and 
after  enjoying  a  very  comfortable  and  cozy  meal  we  returned 
to  St.  Johns  exceedingly  pleased  with  our  trip. 

Indeed,  I  found  the  surroundings  of  St.  Johns  so  very 
attractive  that  I  much  regretted  I  could  not  run  farther  into 
the  interior,  where  many  beautiful  spots  are  to  be  found,  and 
which  is  a  paradise  for  the  sportsman.  But  day  and  night 
the  workmen  were  hammering  away  at  the  Miranda's  bow, 
and  it  was  only  a  question  of  a  few  days  before  she  would  be 
ready  to  start  again  on  her  northward  journey. 

The  interior  of  Newfoundland  has  never  yet  been  fully 
explored ;  and  in  the  dense  forests  that  dot  it,  as  well  as  in 
the  more  open  country,  an  abundance  of  game  is  to  be  found. 
In  1822  a  Scotchman  named  Cormack  crossed  the  island  from 
east  to  west  at  its  broadest  point,  but  his  journey  has  never 
been  repeated.     It  is  said  that  great  numbers  of  caribou  and 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE  MIRANDA.  51 

moose  are  to  be  found  in  the  interior,  while  the  countless 
lakes  and  ponds  abound  with  trout,  and  are  the  abodes  of 
wild  geese,  duck,  and  other  fresh-water  fowl.  Beaver  and 
otter  also  dwell  in  these  lonely  lakes.  Ptarmigan,  curlew, 
plover,  and  snipe  are  found  all  over  the  island,  on  the  great 
barrens  or  in  the  marshy  grounds,  and  Arctic  hare  and  rab- 
bits also  abound. 

Of  course,  the  cod  is  the  great  fish  about  Newfoundland, 
for  here  are  the  greatest  cod  fisheries  in  the  world  ;  the  fish- 
eries off  the  Labrador  coast  are  controlled  by  Newfoundland, 
as  the  territory  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  latter. 
The  second  great  industry  of  the  island  is  the  seal  fishery, 
the  products  derived  therefrom  forming  about  one-eighth 
of  its  entire  exports.  In  olden  times  this  industry  was 
carried  on  solely  by  sailing  vessels  and  boats,  but  about  thirty 
years  ago  steam  sealers  were  introduced ;  and  these,  of  course, 
have  a  decided  advantage  over  sailing  craft.  They  are  power- 
fully built,  to  withstand  the  pressure  of  the  ice,  and  are  large 
enough  to  carry  from  a  hundred  to  three  hundred  men ;  but 
the  men  are  crowded  into  very  close  quarters.  The  risks  of  the 
voyage,  the  adventures  in  catching  seals,  and  the  large  gains  to 
be  derived  thereby,  attract  numbers  of  volunteers,  and  of  these 
the  steamers  have  the  pick.  On  account  of  the  ice,  the  law 
does  not  allow  the  sealers  to  clear  before  March  10,  and 
the  season  lasts  but  six  weeks.  It  is  a  common  thing  for  a 
steamer  to  return  in  three  or  four  weeks,  laden  down  with 
thirty  or  forty  thousand  seals,  worth  from  two  to  three 
dollars  apiece.  A  third  of  the  proceeds  is  divided  among  the 
men ;  the  captain  gets  so  many  cents  per  seal,  and  the 
remainder  goes  to  the  owner  of  the  vessel.  Lying  about  us 
were  quite  a  fleet  of  these  steam  sealers. 

The  conviction  had  forced  itself  upon  us  that  the  Miranda 
was  **not  the  man  for  Gal  way,"  was  not  the  ship  fitted  for 
ice-service.     It  was  a  question  as  to  whether  we  could  pro- 


52  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

ceed  with  any  degree  of  safety  ;  and  we  were  obliged,  much  to 
our  disappointment;,  to  give  up  all  thought  of  entering  Mel- 
ville Bay,  both  on  account  of  the  delay  we  had  experienced 
and  the  danger  of  getting  nipped  by  pack  ice,  for  every  one 
said  that  in  such  a  contingency  the  Miranda  would  be  crushed 
like  an  egg-shell.  After  considerable  deliberation  and  con- 
sulting of  authorities,  it  was  decided  that  it  would  be  safe 
for  us  to  proceed  to  the  southern  coast  of  Greenland ;  for,  by 
taking  the  right  course,  there  would  be  little  danger  of  meet- 
ing much  ice  at  this  time  of  year.  Notwithstanding  the 
opinion  of  authorities,  however,  the  people  in  general  looked 
upon  us  as  little  less  than  crazy  for  attempting  to  go  on  at  all 
after  our  unfortunate  experience. 

A  small  party  of  our  excursionists  were  skirting  about  the 
suburbs  of  the  town  one  morning,  when  they  came  across  the 
lunatic  asylum,  and  thought  they  would  like  to  inspect  it. 
They  rang  the  bell,  and  the  door  was  opened  by  an  attendant, 
who  said  that  visitors  were  not  admitted  upon  that  day.  "  We 
come  from  the  Miranda,"  said  one  of  the  party,  starting  to 
explain.  '*  Oh,  walk  right  in!"  immediately  responded  the 
attendant,  and  the  door  was  opened  wide.  The  party  entered, 
but  with  an  uncanny  feeling  that  the  heavy  door  might  close 
upon  them  and  bid  them  leave  all  hope  behind.  Meantime, 
the  hammers  were  drumming  merrily  on  the  Miranda  night 
and  day  at  her  wharf  close  by  the  great  dry-dock  at  St.  Johns. 
This  is  one  of  the  largest  dry-docks  in  the  world.  There 
were  three  vessels  getting  repaired  in  it  while  we  lay  by.  It 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $600,000.  It  had  been  dredged  out, 
and  its  sides  were  heavily  timbered  in  steps.  The  vessels 
sail  in,  and  then  the  entrance  is  closed  by  a  pontoon-gate. 
The  water  is  pumped  out  by  pnmps  so  large  and  powerful 
that  they  will  empty  the  basin  within  four  hours. 

On  July  28  the  hammering  ceased,  the  repairs  were  com- 
pleted, and  we  started  for  Frederickshaab,  South  Greenland, 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


53 


planning  to  go  directly  across  the  straits,  and  thus  avoid  the 
Labrador  coast  and  its  numerous  icebergs.  We  started  at 
about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but  anchored  after  steam- 
ing out  a  little  way,  and  did  not  get  well  under  way  until  five 
o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  The  day  was  foggy  at  first, 
but  the  fog  lifted,  and  we  bowled  merrily  along,  making  good 


THE    MIRANDA   IN    DOCK. 

time,  and  with  everybody  in  high  spirits.  Shortly  after  break- 
fast we  passed  Baccalieu  Island,  which  is  most  densely  popu- 
lated by  seagulls.  A  few  shots  fired  from  the  ship  echoed 
and  reverberated  about  the  island,  and  caused  a  partial 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  on  account  of  the  dense  mass  of  gulls  that 
circled  over  us.     Xot  until  I  saw  the  wonderful  loomeries  of 


54  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRA:N'DA. 

Greenland  did  I  behold  again  such  countless  myriads  of  gulls. 
This  island  is  the  farthest  point  out  between  Conception  and 
Trinity  bays.  By  the  afternoon  the  coast  had  become  a  dim 
outline,  and  was  soon  lost  to  sight.  We  passed  several  mag- 
nificent icebergs — great,  gleaming  masses  of  ice,  each  of 
which  on  land  would  have  covered  acres  of  ground.  The 
ship  danced  up  and  down,  tossed  by  billows ;  but  these 
great  icebergs,  sinking  as  they  do  so  far  and  deep  into  the  sea, 
are  not  moved  by  the  motions  of  the  surface,  and  the  waves 
dash  against  them  as  against  a  rocky  coast,  and  fall  back 
again  unheeded.  The  Arctic  explorer  Hayes  says  of  icebergs  : 
"  The  iceberg  is  the  largest  independent  floating  body  in  the 
universe  except  the  heavenly  orbs.  There  is  nothing  ap- 
proaching it  within  the  range  of  our  knowledge  on  this  globe 
of  ours  ;  and  yet  it  is  but  a  fragment  of  the  ice-stream,  which 
in  turn  is  but  an  arm  of  the  great  ice-sea.  And  yet  the  iceberg 
is  to  the  Greenland  ice  as  the  paring  of  a  finger-nail  to  the 
human  body,  as  a  small  chip  to  the  largest  oak,  as  a  shovel  of 
earth  to  Manhattan  Island."  This  gives  some  faint  idea 
of  the  vast  amount  of  ice  in  the  frozen  regions  of  the 
North  ;  the  huge  icebergs  that  passed  us  were  but  as  little 
chips  floating  away  from  the  great  body  of  ice  they  had  left 
behind. 

For  the  first  two  or  three  days  after  leaving  St.  Johns 
we  had  fairly  clear  weather,  and  made  good  progress,  and  then 
a  dense  fog  fell  upon  us.  Day  after  day  we  drifted  about  with- 
out anybody  knowing  exactly  where  we  were,  for  no  accurate 
observations  could  be  taken.  Sometimes  the  fog  would  lift 
to  reveal  to  us  that  we  were  surrounded  by  floe  ice  and  ice- 
bergs. For  days  we  coasted  along  this  ice  in  fog  and  rain, 
attempting  to  find  a  passage  through  it.  The  long  stretches  of 
ice,  and  the  large  icebergs  towering  like  mountains  above,  and 
the  roaring  of  the  waves  dashing  against  the  ice-floe,  com- 
bined  to   make  a  scene   both  impressive  and   awful.     The 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


65 


fog  was  very  moist,  and  wet  us  like  rain,  great  drops  of  water 
falling  from  it ;  and  it  grew  very  cold. 

*'  And  now  there  came  both  mist  and  snow, 
And  it  grew  wondrous  cold  : 
And  ice  mast  high  came  floating  by, 
As  green  as  emerald. 

"  The  ice  was  here,  the  ice  was  there, 
The  ice  was  all  around  : 
It  cracked  and  growled,  and  roared  and  howled 
Like  noises  in  a  swound.'' 

We  first  saw  the  Greenland  coast  early  in  the  morning  of 
August  3.  The  lofty  peaks  of  Mount  Nautsarsorfike  and 
Mount  Kunguat  could  be  discerned,  and  were  perhaps  sixty 
or  seventy  miles  distant.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  floe  ice 
between  us  and  the  land,  and  also  on  the  west  of  us.  Ice- 
pilot  Dumphy  wished  to  run  through  this  ice ;  but  Cap- 
tain Farrell  would  not  hear  of  it,  and  we  slowly  steamed 
westward  to  make  a  detour  amid  numberless  pieces  of  broken 
i  c  e .  As 
we  looked 
outward 
the  ice 
seemed  to 
form  u 
continu- 
ous line 
along  the 
horizon. 
Then  the 

fog,  seemingly  more  dense  and  heavy  than  ever,  closed  all  about 
us,  and  the  ship  was  obliged  to  lie  to  with  the  ice  all  around  it. 
To  the  west  of  us  there  was  a  continuous  roar  as  of  waves 
beating  upon  a  rocky  shore,  but  it  was  the  noise  of  the  ice- 


THE    GREENLAND   COAST. 


56 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


pack.  The  water  was  very  still,  scarcely  a  ripple  on  its  sur- 
face; and  some  of  the  men  took  advantage  of  the  calm  by 
going  out  in  a  small  boat  and  securing  a  lot  of  ice  from  a 
wasted  berg  near  the  ship.  They  lassoed  great  pieces  of  ice, 
and  in  this  way  got  about  a  ton  on  board. 

At  about  six  o'clock  the  fog  cleared  and  disclosed  an  in- 
teresting state  of  aifairs,  for  the  floe  was  closing  in  on  us. 
To  the  west  of  us  was  a  line  of  pack  ice  like  a  wall,  only  about 
half  a  mile  away  ;  it  stretched  both  ways  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see,  while  to  the  east  of  us  was  another  wall  of  ice,  not 


FLOE  ICE. 


SO  sharply  defined,  but  too  much  of  it  to  attempt  a  passage 
through.  The  Miranda  fled  in  a  southeasterly  direction,  and 
it  was  a  most  interesting  retreat  through  shapes  and  forms  of 
ice  of  all  varieties  and  colors.  Blue  and  green  ice  we  saw  of 
different  shades,  and  sometimes  ice  tinted  with  red.  The 
varying  shapes  kept  us  constantly  interested,  and  the  forms 
assumed  at  times  by  the  ice  were  wonderfully  beautiful  and 
delicate.  Here  and  there  we  saw  seals,  seated  on  masses  of 
ice,  who  eyed  us  with  evident  curiosity,  and  occasionally  a 
whale  rose  and  spouted  near  the  ship.    Ice-pilot  Dumphy  was 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  57 

perched  in  the  shrouds,  and  reported  open  places  visible 
in  a  westerly  direction.  Slowly  the  ship  picked  its  way 
through  the  ice-belt,  and  by  half-past  seven  we  got  through 
the  floe  and  into  clear  water,  leaving  a  long  line  of  ice 
behind. 

It  was  now  decided  to  run  up  to  Disco,  rather  than  try  to 
get  in  at  Frederickshaab.  But  again  the  fog  fell  around  us  on 
the  ensuing  day,  and  we  drifted  about,  making  little  progress. 
We  were  in  latitude  62°  50',  and  longitude  53°  49'.  When- 
ever the  fog  lifted  we  could  see  icebergs  about  us — which 
made  the  captain  very  careful ;  and  for  some  days  we  kept 
drifting  about,  mostly  in  fog  so  dense  that  no  observations 
could  be  taken.  On  the  morning  of  August  7,  to  our  sur- 
prise and  joy,  we  discovered  that  we  were  in  sight  of  land — 
rugged  and  uninviting,  to  be  sure,  but  still  land.  High 
mountains,  with  towering  peaks  covered  with  snow,  and 
bleak  and  barren  islands,  were  outlined  in  the  distance. 
There  was  but  little  ice  in  sight,  and  we  headed  for  the  shore, 
with  our  whistle  blowing  to  attract  the  attention  of  any  inhab- 
itants, should  there  prove  to  be  a  settlement  upon  this  coast. 
For  an  hour  or  so  we  lay  to,  blowing  our  whistle  and  firing 
the  cannon.  After  a  while  two  little  specks  were  seen  afar 
off,  and  ere  long  were  made  out  to  be  Eskimo  kayaks.  Be- 
fore long  a  large  boat  hove  in  sight,  and  made  directly  for  the 
ship.  Soon  it  was  alongside  of  us,  and  proved  to  contain  sev- 
eral Eskimos,  who  came  on  board  and  piloted  our  vessel  into  a 
snug  little  harbor  surrounded  by  islands.  Here  was  a  settle- 
ment, and  on  a  hill  we  saw  a  flagstaff  flying  the  Danish  flag, 
and  collected  about  it  a  crowd  of  Eskimos,  men  and  women — 
mostly  the  latter,  who  apparently  were  in  a  great  state  of  ex- 
citement, and  were  looking  down  at  us  with  every  indication 
of  curiosity  and  interest.  Little  houses  or  igloos  were  perched 
about  on  the  rocky  hills,  and  near  the  landing  was  the  more 
commodious  house  of  the  Danish  governors.    The  place  proved 


58 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


to  be  Sukkertoppen  (Sugar-loaf),  an  Eskimo  settlement  of 
about  four  hundred  people,  ruled  by  Governor  Bistrup  and 
Assistant  Governor  Baumann.  As  soon  as  the  ship  dropped 
anchor  we  were  surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  kayaks  and  oomiaks — 

or  woman's  boat. 
It  was  not  long 
before  several  of 
our  boats  were 
lowered  among 
this,  to  us,  novel 
fleet,  and  we 
were  soon  on 
shore.  Here  the 
entire  popula- 
tion, with  the 
exception  of 
those  in  the 
boats,  had  gatli- 
ered  just  in 
front  of  the  gov- 
ernors' house, 
and  received  us 
with  every  expression  of  simple-minded  wonder  and  delight. 
We  found  that  the  governors  were  away  for  the  time  being, 
and  so  we  paid  our  respects  to  their  ladies,  and  were  most 
hospitably  entertained  by  them.  After  coming  out  from 
the  governors'  house  we  had  great  sport  with  the  natives. 
The  prettiest  girls  were  selected  from  the  crowd,  which  kept 
in  a  solid  phalanx,  and  induced,  with  much  difficulty  at 
times,  for  they  were  not  lacking  in  coquetry,  to  come 
forward  and  have  their  pictures  taken.  Then  we  scattered 
over  the  settlement  generally,  and  the  crowd  broke  and 
followed  us  about  in  sections. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  commercial  spirit  displayed 


DANISH    BUILDINGS   AT   SUKKERTOPPEN. 


60  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

itself  on  both  sides,  and  many  of  our  party  went  back  to  the 
ship  to  gather  trading  material  which  they  had  brought  with 
them.  They  came  back  bearing  bags  of  every  description 
filled  with  knickknacks  and  old  clothes.  The  place  looked 
as  if  it  were  being  overrun  with  Hebrew  peddlers,  and  the  scene 
was  comical  in  the  extreme.  Some  stood  up  on  rocks,  sur- 
rounded by  an  excited  crowd  of  Eskimos,  mostly  women,  and 
auctioned  their  goods  to  the  highest  bidders,  or  to  those  who 
displayed  the  articles  they  wished,  while  others  made  a  regu- 
lar house-to-house  canvass,  and  had  great  times  dickering 
with  the  residents  thereof  ;  for  bargaining  had  to  be  carried  on 
by  signs  not  always  rightly  interpreted.  Such  a  babel  of 
tongues  as  arose,  such  shouts  of  laughter,  had  probably  never 
before  been  heard  in  Sukkertoppen.  One  of  our  party,  who 
had  read  Mark  Twain's  story  of  the  "■  Eskimo  Maiden's  Eo- 
mance,"  had  purchased  a  supply  of  twenty-five  hundred  large 
and  shining  fish-hooks  with  which  to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the 
natives :  nay,  he  thought  almost  to  blind  them  with  his  dis- 
play of  wealth.  But  alas  for  him,  fish-hooks  seemed  to  be  a 
drug  on  the  market  in  this  particular  settlement,  and  though 
he  pulled  whole  handfuls  of  them  out  from  his  bag,  he  pro- 
duced no  curiosity  or  interest.  Kow  I  had  been  led  to  be- 
lieve by  several  Arctic  explorers  whom  I  had  questioned 
before  starting  that  nothing  was  dearer  to  the  heart  of  the 
Eskimo  than  a  needle,  and  the  bigger  the  better.  Conse- 
quently, I  had  purchased  a  lot  of  needles  so  large  that  as  I 
carried  them  through  New  York  I  was  in  fear  of  being  ar- 
rested for  carrying  concealed  deadly  weapons  ;  but  thoughts 
of  the  fine  lot  of  furs  I  should  bring  back  in  exchange  con- 
soled me  for  the  risk.  I  hummed  to  myself  the  song  of  the 
magnet  in  "  Patience,"  slightly  altered  to  suit  the  occasion  : 

"  For  if  I  can  wheedle 
A  knife  or  a  needle, 
O  why  not  an  Eskimo  ?  " 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE  MIRANDA. 


CI 


But  needles  attracted  no  more  attention  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Sukkertoppen  than  did  fish-hooks.  Some 
knowing  ones  liad  probably  been  here  before  us  and  flooded 
the  market.  Ribbons  were  the  things  that  went  like  hot 
cakes,  and  a  man  with  enough  ribbons  could  soon  have  owned 
the  town.  All  the  women  wore  ribbons  in  their  hair,  which 
was  tied  up  in  a  top-knot.  These  ribbons  were  worn  not 
only  for  ornament,  but  also 
to  designate  the  lady's  con- 
dition. Maids  wore  red, 
married  women  blue,  wid- 
ows black,  and  those  who 
were  neither  maid,  wife, 
nor  widow,  green.  Some 
of  the  widows  wore  black 
and  red  ribbons  interlaced  ; 
these  formed  a  sort  of 
quick  or  the  dead  colors, 
and  indicated  a  willingness 
to  marry  again.  It  chanced 
that  a  young  theological 
student  of  our  party  had 
brought  with  him  a  great 
roll  of  green  ribbon,  and 
when  he  saw  how  popular 
ribbons  appeared  to  be,  he 
brought  forth  his  roll  and 
unwound  it  before  a  lot  of 
maidens  and  their  mam- 
mas. The  hilarity  that  he 
produced  embarrassed  him,  and  when  he  attempted  to 
hand  his  ribbons  for  examination  to  any  one  of  them  the 
manner  in  which  they  ran  laughing  from  him  embarrassed 
him  all  the  more,  and  filled  him  with  astonishment.     Never- 


62 


TiiE  Last  ckuise  of  the  miranda. 


theless,  he  persevered,  and  produced  his  ribbons  in  the  midst 
of  many  a  virtuous  household.  But  when  an  ethnologist  of 
the  party,  learned   in   Eskimo  lore,  explained  to  him  the 

significance  of  the  wearing  of 
the  green,  he  immediately  re- 
turned to  the  Miranda,  where 
he  might  blush  unseen. 

While  the  green  ribbon 
does  not  render  its  wearer  a 
social  pariah  and  outcast,  as 
did  the  flaming  scarlet  letter 
in  the  days  of  the  Puritans, 
still  on  the  other  hand  it  is 
not  a  badge  of  social  distinc- 
tion, and  its  wearers  are  not 
regarded  as  the  leaders  of 
Sukkertoppen's  "four  hun- 
dred." But  then  there  are 
no  social  leaders  in  this  primi- 
tive settlement,  and  no  color 
line  is  drawn  ;  so  blue  ribbon 
and  green  ribbon  and  red 
ribbon  and  black  ribbon 
mingled  together  without 
thought  of  caste. 

Men  and  women  dress  so 
much  alike  that,  were  it  not  for 
the  top-knots  and  ribbons  of  the  gentler  sex,  it  would  be  hard 
to  distinguish  them.  The  upper  garment  is  a  "  timiak  " — a 
vest  of  birdskin — and  over  this  is  worn  a  kind  of  cotton  jersey 
called  "  anorak."  On  the  legs  are  worn  breeches  of  sealskin 
or  of  reindeer  skin.  The  women's  breeches  are  shorter  than 
the  men's,  but  to  make  up  for  this  they  wear  longer  boots, 
called  '^  kamics,"  which  reach  above  the  knee.     The  men's 


A  JUVENILE. 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE  MIRANDA. 


63 


kamics  go  but  little  above  the  ankle.  There  is  also  more 
ornamentation  about  the  dress  of  the  women.  Their  breeches 
are  richly  decorated  in  front  with  colored  skin  and  white 
strips  of  dog  or  reindeer  skin,  and  their  long  kamics  are 
brightly  colored,  and  the  fronts  of  these  are  also  decorated 
with  stripes.  Indeed,  the  costumes  are  very  picturesque,  and 
vastly  more  becoming  to  these  people  than  the  ugly  garments 
that  civilization  has 
forced  upon  us. 

By  the  afternoon 
the  Miranda  looked 
like  a  floating  mu- 
seum of  natural  his- 
tory. There  were 
already  a  consider- 
able collection  of 
stuffed  birds  on 
board,  which  had 
been  prepared  by 
the  naturalists  of 
the  expedition; 
then  a  number  of 
stuffed  seals  had 
been  secured  in  St. 
Johns,  and  a  variety 
of  skins  in  Labra- 
dor. This  collection 
was  now  augmented 
by  all  kinds  of  Es- 
kimo goods  in  the 
way   of   costumes, 

boots,  fur  slippers,  ornaments,  implements  of  the  chase,  and 
kayaks.  Sixteen  of  these  wonderful  little  boats  now  adorned 
the  decks  of  the  Miranda.  The  kayak  is  an  ingenious  evolution 


PORTRAIT   OF   A   LADY. 


THE    KAYAK. 


64  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

from  the  birch-bark  canoe  of  the  North  American  Indian,  and 
is  remarkably  well  adapted  to  the  uses  required  of  it.  It  is  built 
of  a  frame  of  wood  or  bone,  about  twenty  feet  in  length  and 
two  and  a  half  in  breadth.     A  covering  of  sealskin,  perfectly 

water- 

-        ■•"-"         '-' "  '" —  -  „,.  .  .,^...,.^—,     proof,    is 

tightly 
stretched 
over  the 
I'  r  a  m  e , 
and  in 
the  mid- 
dle of  the 

top  there  is  a  hole  just  large  enougli  to  permit  the 
kayaker  to  get  his  body  in  and  take  his  seat  on  the  bottom 
of  the  boat  with  his  legs  stretched  out  in  front  of  him.  He 
wears  a  sealskin  coat  with  a  hood  over  his  head,  and  the  coat 
fits  tightly  around  a  rim  round  the  aperture  of  the  kayak, 
so  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  water  to  get  into  the  boat.  A 
double  paddle  flaring  at  both  ends  is  used,  and  the  kayak  is 
sent  over  the  water  with  great  swiftness.  It  is  wonderful  to 
see  these  little  fellows  go  skimming  over  the  water  in  their 
canoes.  They  can  perform  all  kinds  of  antics  with  the 
ease  of  an  acrobat,  and  are  rather  fond  of  showing  off  their 
skill.  They  can  turn  complete  somersaults  in  the  water, 
turning  over  and  righting  themselves  with  the  greatest  ease  ; 
and  another  form  of  sport  is  to  spurt  the  boat  forward  and  to 
jump  completely  over  the  bow  of  another  boat.  In  these 
little  canoes  they  hunt  the  seal  and  walrus,  and  all  game  to  be 
found  above  or  under  the  water,  and  the  boats  are  equipped 
with  various  ingenious  implements  of  the  chase.  There  are 
different  kinds  of  fishing  tackle,  and  a  bird-spear  of  wood, 
pointed  with  a  bone  spear-head,  and  a  circle  of  barbed  bone 
lance-heads  contrived  so  as  to  give  a  whirling  motion  to  the 


THE   LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


65 


spear  and  thus  entangle  the  object  at  which  it  is  thrown. 
Then  there  is  a  harpoon  for  seals,  so  arranged  with  a  joint 
that  after  the  spear-head,  has  struck  the  animal  it  becomes 
detached  from  tlie  shaft,  tlie  head  being  connected  with  a 
thong  in  the  hands  of  the  hunter.  This  thong  is  attached  to 
a  float  consisting  of  a  large  bladder  or  an  inflated  and  air-tight 


ESKIMOS  AT   PLAY. 

skin,  which  prevents  the  escape  or  sinking  of  the  wounded 
animal. 

Indeed,  the  Eskimos  show  considerable  inventive  genius 
and  skill  in  the  construction  of  such  articles  as  are  needed  in 
their  grim  struggle  for  existence  in  an  environment  unfavor- 
able to  human  life.  They  will  hold  their  own  with  any 
aboriginal  race  on  the  face  of  the  globe.     Our  civilization 


66 


THE   LAST   CEUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


cannot  help  them  in  so  far  as  their  struggle  for  life  in  their 
environment  is  concerned.  With  their  iron  implements  they 
can  secure  all  necessary  food  ;  the  possession  of  fire-arms  only 
leads  to  wanton  destruction,  and  to  the  frightening  away  of 
the  game  that  is  most  precious  to  them.  Their  clothes,  cer- 
tainly, are  better  adapted  to  their  climate  than  any  we  could 
make  for  them,  and  our  most  skilful  boat-builders  could  not 
build  them  boats  that  would  serve  them  as  well  as  those  they 
build  for  themselves. 

The  importation  of  various  European  products  has  un- 
doubtedly worked  harm  among  these  now  semi  -  civilized 
Eskimos.  They  have  acquired  a  taste  for  tobacco,  coffee, 
European  fabrics,  and  various  knickknacks.  In  exchange 
for  these  doubtful  commodities  they  give  their  necessities  of 

life — s  e  a  1  s  k  i  n 
and  blubber. 
Their  boats  and 
tents — absolute 
nee  essities — go 
to  rack  and  ruin, 
unless  the  neces- 
sary sealskin  is 
forthcoming; 
and  in  winter 
without  blub- 
ber they  lack 
both  light  and 
warmth.  They 
are  an  improvi- 
dent people,  and 
will  exchange  during  their  brief  summer,  for  luxuries  to  them, 
such  as  coffee  and  tobacco,  things  that  are  absolute  necessities 
during  their  loug  winters,  and  so  entail  upon  themselves  the 
severest  suffering — even  starvation  and  death.    They  especially 


ESKIMO    HOUSE. 


THE   LAST  ORiriSE  OP  THE   MIRAKDA. 


67 


delight  in  coffee  and  tobacco,  both  of  which  are  deleterious  to 
them.  The  coffee  they  drink  very  strong,  and  they  revel  in 
the  brief  exhilaration  that  it  affords  them.  But  they  are  aware 
of  its  injurious  effects,  and  young  men  who  are  destined  to  be 
good  seal-catchers  are 
allowed  little  or  none. 
It  is  apt  to  produce  a 
giddiness  fatal  to  a  kay- 
aker,  who  needs  to  have 
always  a  clear  head. 
They  both  chew  and 
smoke  tobacco,  and  even 
the  little  children  will  run 
after  you — girls  as  well  as 
boys — begging  for  some 
of  the  precious  weed. 
Spirits  are  not  allowed  by 
the  Danish  governors  to 
be  sold  or  exchanged 
among  them  ;  but  if  by 
any  means  they  can  pro- 
cure any,  they  delight  in 
the  effects  produced. 
Nansen,  the  Arctic  ex- 
plorer, says,  in  speaking 
of  these  West  Greenland  ' ' 
Eskimos:  **  They  are 
passionately  fond  of  spirits, 
because  they  like  the  taste,  as  I  was  often  told,  but  because 
it  is  so  delightful  to  be  drunk.  And  drunk  they  become 
at  every  possible  opportunity.  Somewhat  incongruously,  too, 
the  women,  as  a  rule,  like  their  husbands  best  when  they  are 
in  a  state  of  intoxication." 

Living  on  the  verge  of  existence,  these  people  have  need  of  all 


MOTHER   AND    BABE. 

men  and   women  alike — not 


68  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

their  natural  powers  in  their  grim  battle  with  an  inimical  and 
difficult  environment.  The  few  virtues  of  civilization  that 
are  with  difficulty  grafted  upon  them  hardly  compensate  for 
the  civilized  vices,  which  are  only  too  easily  spread  among 
them,  and  which  so  weaken  them  in  their  hard  struggle  for 
existence. 

Indeed,  the  Danish  Government  has  recognized  the  fact 
that  intercourse  with  civilized  people  is  positively  detrimental 
to  the  Eskimos,  and  so  it  prohibits  civilized  persons  other 
than  officials  of  the  Government  from  remaining  for  any 
length  of  time  among  them.  Professor  Dyche,  of  our  party,  the 
well-known  naturalist  and  hunter,  wished  to  remain  in  Green- 
land all  the  winter,  in  order  to  increase  his  already  great  collec- 
tion of  North  American  mammals;  but  he  was  informed  that 
he  could  not  remain  without  a  permit  from  the  Danish  Govern- 
ment. Nothing  daunted,  he  secured  a  permit  after  his  return 
to  this  country,  and  started  again  for  Greenland  in  a  small 
schooner  the  following  spring.  At  Holsteinborg  he  connect- 
ed with  the  Peary  Relief  Expedition,  and  returned  with  it, 
bringing  with  him  nearly  4,000  specimens  of  Arctic  birds, 
eggs,  and  animals.  This  is  the  largest  collection  that  has 
ever  been  made  in  the  Arctic  regions,  and  as  it  was  made 
within  four  months,  great  credit  must  be  given  Professor 
Dyche  for  his  energy  and  brilliant  work. 

As  it  was  decided  to  remain  at  Sukkertoppen  for  a  couple 
of  days,  a  party  under  Professor  Wright  was  organized  to  visit 
and  explore  a  glacier  about  thirty  miLes  away,  up  a  fiord  called 
Isortok.  Toward  evening  we  started  off  in  two  boats,  a  life- 
boat and  a  dory.  In  the  lifeboat  were  Professors  Wright  and 
Jillson,  Messrs.  Dove,  Kersting,  Frederick  Wright,  Jr., 
Dunning,  myself,  and  three  Eskimos.  In  the  dory  were 
Messrs.  Ladd,  Rogers,  Carpenter,  Joyner,  and  one  Eskimo. 
The  Eskimos  are  good  and  untiring  oarsmen.  They  row  a 
slow  stroke,  but  they  put  their  muscle  into  it  and  make  it 


THE    LAST  CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


69 


tell.  We  took  turns  at  the  stroke  oar,  and  occasionally 
spelled  the  Eskimos  ;  but  not  often,  for  they  can  row  for  hours 
on  a  stretch,  and  at  the  end  seem  as  fresh  as  at  the  com- 
mencement. It  was  a  beautiful  row,  amid  strange  and  novel 
scenery.  When  we  were  well  out  at  sea,  the  sun,  now  a  fiery 
red  ball,  sank  behind  the  great  snow-capped  mountains,  tint- 
ing them  and  the  clouds  above  with  streaks  of  purple  and 
gold — tints  that  the  waters  reflected.  Then  we  entered  nar- 
row and  winding  channels,  and  rowed  in  and  out  among  a 


FIRST   CAMP    IN    GREENLAND. 

number  of  small  islands,  mere  rocks  and  moss,  as  desolate 
and  forbidding  as  could  well  be  imagined.  There  is  a  vast, 
brooding  silence  which  hangs  over  the  great  wastes  of  Green- 
land ;  it  seems  almost  like  an  impertinence  to  break  it,  by 
even  the  dip  of  an  oar,  while  the  sound  of  laughter  or  of 
a  human  voice  seems  strangely  and  weirdly  out  of  place.  In 
the  long  Arctic  twilight  we  rowed  for  many  hours,  until  at 
length  we  entered  the  Isortok  fiord,  and  near  the  mouth  of 
this  we  pitched  our  camp  for  the  night.  It  was  our  first 
camp  in  Greenland,  and  it  was  called  Camp  Outing. 


70 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


We  were  up  betimes  in  the  morning,  and  immediately 
after  breakfast  started  for  the  glacier.  The  mainland  was  on 
our  right,  a  continuous  stretch  of  steep  declivities  and  tower- 
ing mountains.     As  we  turned  a  bend  we  could  see  afar  off 

the   white  line 
of    the    glacier 
coming  down 
from    on    high 
to    the   water's 
edge.     It   was 
hours  before  we 
reached  it,  how- 
ever, for  it  was 
many   miles 
away.    Once  we 
met  an  oomiak, 
escorted  by  a 
couple   of  kay- 
aks.    It  was  a 
party   of   Eski- 
mos,  men   and 
women,  return- 
ing from   fishing.     We   stopped  and   exchanged    greetings, 
and  also  exchanged   a  couple  of   plugs   of   tobacco   and  a 
mouth-organ  for  some  very  fine  salmon.     The  Eskimos  went 
on  their  way  rejoicing,  and  with  a  concourse  of  sweet  sounds 
that  were   emitted  vigorously  from  the  mouth-organ.     They 
probably  thought  us  very  simple  people  to  part  with  so  rare 
and  wonderful  an  instrument  for  just  a  mess  of  fish. 

We  reached  the  glacier  finally  at  about  noon,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  we  were  scaling  up  the  steep  mountain-sides, 
following  the  course  of  the  glacier  upward.  It  was  like  climb- 
ing the  Alps,  where  "  peaks  on  peaks  arise,"  and  none  of  us 
were  able  to  reach  the  top — our  time  was  too  limited.     I 


FRONT   VIEW    OF  THE    ISORTOK   GLACIER. 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  71 

clambered  with  Mr.  Ladd  to  an  altitude  of  about  twenty-five 
hundred  feet,  from  whence  we  enjoyed  a  magnificent  view  of 
the  numerous  islands  and  fiords  that  lay  below,  of  the  main- 
land of  Greenland,  and  of  the  great  ocean  beyond.  Twice  we 
crossed  spurs  of  the  glacier,  and  our  feet  sank  deep  in  the  soft 
snow;  for  the  sun  was  so  hot  that  we  partially  stripped  ourselves 
during  our  ascent.  The  moss  that  for  the  most  part  covered 
the  rocks  was  green  and  beautiful,  and  scattered  about  in 
rich  profusion  were  great  numbers  of  wild  flowers  gorgeous  in 
their  hues.  The  glaciers  are  the  mothers  of  icebergs,  which 
are  not  formed  of  ice  frozen  on  the  surface  of  the  polar  seas, 
but  are  pieces  broken  from  the  sea-ends  of  Arctic  glaciers. 
The  interior  of  Greenland  is  covered  with  a  vast  ice-cap,  from 
which,  down  the  valleys  that  extend  between  the  central 
tableland  to  the  Atlantic  on  the  east  and  Baffin's  Bay  on  the 
west,  the  ice  glides  down  in  frozen  streams  resistlessly  to  the 
sea.  During  the  brief  Arctic  summer  the  action  of  the  waves 
upon  the  debouching  mouths  of  these  great  frozen  rivers, 
aided  by  the  unwonted  warmth  of  the  sun,  detaches  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  tons  of  ice  from  the  great  glaciers,  and  thus  ice- 
bergs are  launched  upon  their  career.  This  breaking  off  of 
icebergs  from  the  parent  glacier  is  called  calving,  owing 
to  a  fancied  resemblance  between  the  thunderous  groans 
that  accompany  the  process  to  the  moaning  of  a  cow  in 
travail. 

By  six  o'clock  we  were  gathered  at  the  foot  of  the  steep 
mountains,  and  after  a  hasty  meal  started  at  once  for  a  thirty- 
mile  pull  back  to  the  ship. 

After  we  were  out  of  the  fiord  we  encountered  a  heavy  sea ; 
as  the  wind  was  dead  against  us,  we  had  a  hard  pull  until 
we  got  in  the  lee  of  some  islands,  and  the  day  was  breaking 
before  we  got  back  to  the  Miranda. 

A  few  hours  later  we  started  away  from  Sukkertoppen  for 
Disco.    Thoroughly  tired  out  after  our  long  pull,  I  was  sleep- 


72 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRAIfDA. 


ing  heavily,  but  was  awakened  by  the  noise  of  the  moving 
ship.  From  out  my  port  -  hole  I  could  see  qviite  a  fleet  of 
kayaks  about  us,  which  raced  along,  keeping  pace  with  the 
ship.  A  high  sea  was  running,  and  the  little  boats  would 
sometimes  be  hidden  from  sight  in  the  trough,  but  only  to  rise 


Wm 


i 


CREVASSE. 

again  in  an  instant  on  the  crest  of  a  wave,  down  which  they 
would  shoot  like  a  toboggan.  Gradually,  tJie  kayaks  dropped 
away  one  by  one,  and  still  feeling  stiff  and  sore  from  the 
exertions  of  the  preceding  day,  I  lay  down  in  my  bunk  again 
and  dropped  off  in  a  half -doze. 

Suddenly  there  was  an  ominous  and  grating  sound,  and 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA.  73 

we  commenced  to  bump  and  jar  in  a  most  alarming  manner. 
I  jumped  to  my  feet,  but  was  immediately  thrown  down,  and 
there  was  a  great  crash  of  breaking  glass  and  china,  and  a 
terrible  ripping  sound,  as  if  the  vessel  were  being  torn  asunder. 
Men,  furniture,  and  everything  loose  about  the  ship  were 
thrown  about  in  the  wildest  confusion.  For  a  moment  we 
seemed  to  be  impaled  upon  the  rocks,  upon  which  we  had 
rushed  with  such  terrific  force,  with  our  engines  at  full  speed. 
I  dressed  hastily  and  went  on  deck,  where  there  was  a  scene 
of  great  confusion.  "We  had  struck  upon  a  hidden  reef,  but 
with  the  high  waves  and  the  fast  rate  of  speed  at  Avhich 
we  were  going  Ave  had  managed  to  run  over  it  and  get  clear. 
Nobody  could  tell  the  extent  of  damage  done,  and  so  the 
worst  was  prepared  for.  We  felt  that  we  were  liable  to  sink 
at  any  moment,  and  all  knew  that  the  rocks  had  gored  our 
vessel  in  a  terrible  manner.  Many  were  pushing  about  with 
life-preservers  in  their  hands  ;  some  were  working  at  the  boats 
to  get  them  lowered,  and  others  were  bringing  their  most 
valuable  possessions  up  from  their  cabins  to  the  deck.  I  saw 
some  strange  sights  :  one  man  in  his  night-shirt,  with  a  gun 
in  one  hand  and  a  life-preserver  in  the  other,  for  some  of  the 
passengers  snatched  at  all  sorts  of  odd  things  in  the  excite- 
ment of  the  moment ;  another  man  had  the  ship's  cat  pressed 
against  his  bosom.  The  captain  was  cool  and  collected,  and 
giving  his  orders  with  sharp  decision.  Our  whistles  were 
kept  blowing  continually,  and  our  solitary  cannon  was  fired 
off  at  rapid  intervals  as  we  turned  back  and  made  for  Sukker- 
toppen  with  all  possible  speed.  It  took  some  time  to  find  out 
whether  we  were  leaking  badly  or  not ;  then  it  was  discovered 
that  the  after  water-ballast  tank  was  full  of  water,  but 
as  our  pumps  appeared  able  to  keep  the  leakage  from 
gaining  on  us  rapidly,  there  was  apparently  no  immediate 
danger.  Strange  to  say,  we  had  struck  upon  the  rocks  at 
just   about    the    same   time   in   the    morning   that   we  had 


74  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

collided  with  the  iceberg — that  is,  at  twenty  minutes  after 
eight  o'clock. 

At  about  half-past  nine  two  little  specks  were  discerned 
in  the  distance,  alternately  appearing  and  disappearing  with 
the  motion  of  the  waves,  and  as  we  drew  nearer  these  turned 
out  to  be  two  Eskimo  pilots  in  kayaks.  "With  great  skill 
they  ran  alongside  the  ship,  unhitched  themselves  from  their 
gear,  and  came  aboard.  Then  the  governor's  boat  hove 
in  sight ;  for  our  signals  of  distress  had  been  heard,  and  it 
bore  the  crack  pilot  of  these  waters.  By  eleven  o'clock 
we  were  safely  anchored  in  the  harbor  of  Sukkertoppen, 
and  the  Mi?'anda  was  tied  with  cables  to  ring-bolts  in  the 
rocks. 

Now  a  more  careful  examination  as  to  the  damage  the 
rocks  had  done  us  was  made — though,  of  course,  it  could 
not  be  fully  ascertained.  It  was  discovered,  however,  that 
whatever  hole  the  rocks  had  made  was  just  beneath  the 
ballast-tank.  This  tank  extended  the  whole  width  of  the 
ship,  and  lay  beneath  the  engine-room  and  stoke-hold.  It 
was  empty  when  the  Miranda  left  Sukkertoppen  ;  but  on  her 
return  after  the  accident  was  found  to  be  full  of  water, 
and  the  pumps  could  make  no  impression  upon  it.  It  was 
fortunate  for  us  that  the  force  of  the  blows  had  been  sus- 
tained by  this  portion  of  the  ship,  for  had  the  rocks  gored 
anywhere  else  we  should  have  gone  to  the  bottom  at  once. 
The  top  of  the  ballast-tank  acted  as  a  false  bottom  and  kept 
us  afloat ;  but  the  top  of  this  tank  was  thin  and  worn  and 
coated  with  rust,  liable  to  burst  at  any  minute  if  sub- 
jected to  a  rough  sea.  Hence  the  captain  at  once  decided 
that  it  was  unsafe  to  venture  forth  in  the  Miranda,  and 
the  question  of  how  we  were  to  get  home  again  stared  us  in 
the  face. 

Here  was  a  pretty  how-de-do.  We  were  stranded  in 
Gr-reenland.     Provisions  already  were  beginning  to  run  short. 


THE    LAST   CEUISJ:    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


75 


and  the  settlement  could  not  afford  ns  any,  having  a  bare 
sufficiency  for  itself.  There  was  no  chance  of  getting  away 
before  spring,  unless  we  secured  some  vessel  cruising  about 
in  the  vicinity.  There  was  a  bare  chance  that  the  Falcon 
might  be  intercepted  on  her  return  from  Peary's  headquar- 
ters ;  but  then  the  Falcon,  being  a  small  ship,  could  accom- 
modate only  a  few  of  us,  at  best,  in  addition  to  those  she 
had  on  board.  We  learned  from  the  governor  that  there 
were  two  or  three  American  schooners  at  the  fishing-banks  of 
Holsteinborg,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  away.  Here, 
then,  was  our  chance  of  getting  back  to  civilization  ;  but  how 
one  of  these  schooners  finally  came  to  our  rescue  must  be  told 
in  another  chapter. 


—:^ 


CHAPTER  IV. 

When"  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  we  should 
have  to  remain  at  Suk- 
kertoppen  until  some 
vessel  could  be  secured 
to  rescue  us  Ave  at  once 
set  about  organizing  par- 
ties for  various  expe- 
ditions. Of  course,  the 
most  important  thing  was 
to  secure  one  or  more  of 
the  fishing-schooners  reported  to  be  off  the  fishing-banks 
near  Holsteinborg,  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  away. 
A  relief  party  was  selected  to  go  to  Holsteinborg  for  this 
purpose  under  the  command  of  Dr.  Cook.  The  other 
members  of  the  party  were  Messrs.  Ladd,  Rogers,  Porter, 
Thompson,  and  Dunning.  Captain  Farrell  gave  Dr.  Cook 
the  following  letter,  to  be  given  to  the  captain  of  any  ship 
that  he  might  find  : 

"  SUKKEETOPPEN,  SOUTH  GREENLAND,  ) 
"  August  10,  1894.  [ 

"  To  Whom  It  May  Concern  : 

"  Dear  Sir  : — The  stesimer  Miranda,  of  Liverpool,  England,  from 
New  York,  with  Dr.  Frederick  A.  Cook's  Arctic  Expedition,  struck 
a  sunken  rock  seven  miles  southwest  of  this  harbor.  The  ship  is 
making  water.  Dr.  Cook  is  going  to  you  for  immediate  assistance, 
which  please  send,  as  we  are  in  distress. 
"  Yours  truly, 

"Capt.  Wm.  J.  Farrell, 

"  Master  of  Steamship  3Iiranda." 

Governor  Bistrup  placed  an  open  sailboat  at  the  disposal 


<.>£.' ><.aBC'i  Jr' 


78  THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

of  the  party,  and  sent  a  Dane  and  four  picked  Eskimos  along 
with  it.  The  expedition  started  on  the  evening  of  August  10. 
On  that  date  two  other  parties  started  out — a  party  to  explore 
the  Sirnilik  glacier,  composed  of  Professors  Wright  and 
Jillson,  and  Messrs.  Dove,  F.  Wright,  Jr.,  Kersting,  Orth, 
Rumrill,  and  Brown  :  and  a  party  to  go  up  the  Isortok  fiord 
to  hunt  and  fish,  composed  of  Dr.  Cramer,  Professor  Freeman, 
Dr.  Stebbins,  and  Messrs.  Gay,  Joyner,  Garrison,  and  my- 
self. We  took  along  with  us  Clark,  one  of  the  waiters, 
who  proved  himself  an  invaluable  man,  and  five  Eskimos  as 
guides.  We  had  two  boats,  which  were  pretty  well  loaded 
with  our  tents,  provisions,  baggage,  guns,  etc.,  to  say  nothing 
of  ourselves  and  the  guides.  Our  main  object  was  to  hunt 
deer.  We  went  over  the  same  course  tliat  I  had  previously 
been  over  in  going  to  the  glacier,  except  that  sve  eventually 
passed  the  glacier  and  went  about  fifteen  miles  farther  on. 

At  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reached  an  island 
near  the  mouth  of  Isortok  fiord,  and  here  we  pitched  our  tents 
for  the  night.  Clark  cooked  us  an  excellent  meal,  though  we 
had  to  be  sparing  with  our  provisions,  for  on  the  Miranda\\Q 
had  already  been  put  on  short  rations  of  two  meals  per  diem. 
At  the  start  the  stocking  of  the  ship  had  been  put  in  the 
hands  of  a  steward  Avho  was  entirely  new  to  the  business. 
He  Avas  a  recent  Yale  graduate  and  an  excellent  linguist,  but, 
like  the  famous  Miss  Von  Blurkey, 

"  Both  Latin  and  Greek  he  could  fluently  speak, 
But  he  did  not  know  chicken  from  turkey." 

Had  the  worst  come  to  the  worst,  he  might  perhaps  have 
supplied  us  with  enough  Greek  roots  to  have  kept  us  all  alive. 

The  next  day  it  was  raining  hard,  and  the  Eskimos,  whom 
we  had  to  consult  in  matters  of  this  kind,  declared  that  we 
could  not  proceed.  They  were  very  positive  Aveather  prophets, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  they  did  understand  their  own 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


70 


climate  pretty  well.  They  looked  at  the  sky,  observed  the 
course  of  the  winds,  shook  their  heads,  and  said  "  No  goot,'* 
"no  goot,"  this  phrase  being  the  extent  of  their  knowledge 


SOME    YOUNG    PROPHETS. 

of  English,  and  then  dove  into  a  little  cavern,  in  which  they 
made  their  quarters.  They  had  covered  the  mouth  of  this 
cavern  with  a  sail.  It  was  evidently  a  favorite  resort  for 
Eskimo  outing  parties,  as  it  was  full  of  fish-bones  and  refuse 
of  all  kinds,  and  had  a  most  abominable  odor ;  this  seemed  to 
make  them  feel  at  home  and  happy. 

In  the  afternoon  it  lightened  up  a  little,  and  Dr.  Cramer 
and  Professor  Freeman  decided  to  go  back  to  the  Miranda 
for  some  oilskins ;  at  our  camp  we  were  only  about  twelve 
miles  from  the  ship.  They  coaxed  a  couple  of  Eskimos  from 
their  redolent  cavern  and  started  away  in  our  smaller  boat. 


80 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXDA, 


with  tne  intention  of  coming  back  as  soon  as  the  storm  was 
over.  Later  it  began  to  rain  in  real  dead  earnest.  That 
night  was  one  of  the  most  uncomfortable  I  have  ever  spent. 
Our  tent  had  been  injudiciously  pitched  on  a  side-hill,  and  so 
a  small  waterfall  percolated  through  the  mossy  floor.  Green- 
land moss  makes  an  excellent  bed  when  dry,  but  when  it 
rains  it  quickly  becomes  like  a  wet  sponge.  We  could  make 
no  fire,  because  there  was  nothing  to  burn  except  moss, 
which  at  the  time  was  impossible,  and  the  night  was  very 

cold.  We  had  a 
little  oil-stove, 
which  we  kept 
going  until  it 
burned  out ;  but 
this  did  not  help 
matters  m  u  c  h  . 
The  tent's  roof 
was  so  Avet  that 
great  drops  fell 
on  our  upturned 
faces  as  we  lay 
huddled  together 
in  the  middle  of 
the  camp,  and  I 
could  push  my 
boot  down  in  the 
wet  moss  and 
hear  the  water 
gurgle.  There 
was  not  much 
sleep  that  night  for  anybody.  We  fell  to  talking  about 
comfortable  waterproof  beds  in  order  to  divert  our  minds. 
"  Did  you  ever  sleep  in  two  empty  flour  barrels  ?  "  remarked 
Clark,  whose  experiences  seemed  to  have  been  varied.    "  ^o" 


CARL  AND    HIS  TWO    BEST   GIRLS. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXDA.  81 

said  a  voice;  ''I'll  admit  that  I  have  been  intoxicated,  but 
I  have  never  been  that  bad."  Nevertheless,  Clark  went  on  to 
describe  how  good  and  dry  a  coucli  could  be  made  of  two  bar- 
rels ;  and  the  idea  of  any  kind  of  a  dry  couch  was  comforting. 

The  next  day  it  ceased  raining, 
except  a  fine  drizzle  ;  but  the  Eski- 
mos still  shook  their  heads  and 
said  "'No  goot."  "We  shot  some 
guillemots  and  sandpipers,  which 
relieved  the  monotony  of  the  day. 
In  the  afternoon  the  boat  came 
back  from  the  ship  with  the  Eski- 
mos ;  they  brought  a  note  from  Ur. 
Cramer  saying  that  all  the  weather 
propliets  in  Sukkertoppen  j)redicted 
stormy  weather  for  some  days,  and 
therefore  he  and  Professor  Freeman 
would  not  return  until  the  storm 
was  over,  as  it  was  useless  to  proceed 
until  it  cleared.  The  boat  was  to 
return  to  the  Mimmla  that  after-  "^"^  ^^°  governors. 

noon,  so  that  any  one  could  go  back  to  the  ship  who  desired  to 
do  so.  I  took  young  Carl  Garrison  with  me  and  made  foi 
the  Miranda.  AVe  needed  more  bread,  and  I  wished  to  get  a 
rubber  blanket — a  necessity  for  this  kind  of  camping.  It  was 
about  nine  in  the  evening  when  we  reached  the  ship.  The  day 
was  Sunday,  and  I  went  over  to  the  settlement  to  pay  my  re- 
spects to  the  governors  and  their  ladies,  who  dwelt  amicably 
under  one  roof.  Here  I  found  several  of  our  party,  for  the 
governors'  house  Avas  a  very  popular  rendezvous,  and  we  passed 
a  most  agreeable  evening.  Assistant-Governor  Baumann  and 
his  wife  both  spoke  English  very  well,  as  did  also  ^Irs.  Bistrup, 
who  acted  as  interpreter  for  Jier  husband.  A  charming  young 
lady,  Miss  Fausboll,  half  English,  half  Danish,  was  staying 


82 


THE    LAST    CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


with  Mrs.  Bistrup,  so  altogether  it  was  no  wonder  that  the 
governors'  house  was  extremely  popular — one  was  sure  of  being 
most  hospitably  received  and  agreeably  entertained,  Mrs. 
Baumann  sang  exceedingly  well,  and  all  the  ladies  were  well 
versed  in  English  and  American  literature  ;  and  I  must  not 
forget  to  mention  that  the  governor  possessed  an  excellent 
stock  of  wine  and  cigars.  The  talk  turned  upon  the  Eskimos 
and  their  traits.  It  seemed  that  there  had  been  an  epidemic 
raging  in  some  of  the  small  hamlets  about,  which  the  gov- 
ernor attributed  to  the  people  eating  putrid  whale-meat — a 
delicate  morsel  among  them.     Six  hunters  from  Sukkertop- 


MRS.  BAUMANN. 


BISTRUP  CHILDREN. 


MRS.  BISTRUP. 


MISS  FAUSBOLL. 


pen  had  recently  gone  to  an  encampment  where  the  epidemic 
Avas  raging,  and  only  two  had  returned  ;  the  others  were 
stricken  down.  When  well  the  natives  will  not  listen  to  ad- 
vice, and  are  very  improvident ;  but  when  sick  they  get  very 
much  frightened.     Death  terrifies  them  exceedingly,  and  they 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIKAXDA. 


83 


mourn  deeply  for  a  few  days  the  loss  of  a  relative  or  friend  ; 
then  suddenly  they  become  merry  again,  and  apparently  think 
of  their  loss  no  more. 

In  character  the  Eskimo  is  gay  and  careless ;   if  he  has 
enough  to  eat  he  enjoys  the  present  and  gives  no  thought  to 


ENTRANCE  TO   AN    ESKIMO    HUT. 

the  future.  He  has  a  strongly  developed  sense  of  freedom 
and  independence,  which  is  natural,  considering  the  nomad 
life  of  his  ancestors.  Another  prominent  trait  is  his  honesty  ; 
for  theft  among  Eskimos  is  very  rare,  and  is  looked  upon 
as  exceedingly  reprehensible.  Murder  is  almost  unknown, 
and  they  do  not  make  war  upon  one  another.  They  are 
very  hospitable  in  disposition,  and  are  good-natured  and 
kind-hearted.  Polygamy  was  common  before  the  West  Coast 
Eskimos  became  converts  to  the  Christian  faitii,  but  now 
monogamy  is  the  ideal,  though  not  always  closely  adhered  to 
in  practice.  Occasional  cases  of  open  polygamy  are  still  to  be 
met  with,  but  these  are  very  rare.  Wonum,  though  consid- 
ered inferior  to  man — a  grading  not  entirely  peculiar  to  the 


84  THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXDA. 

Eskimo — yet  enjoys  a  good  status,  and  is  treated  with  consid- 
eration. The  division  of  hibor  in  a  household  is  distinct. 
The  man  is  the  hunter  and  supporter  of  the  family  ;  his  work 
is  performed  almost  exclusively  upon  the  sea ;  on  land  he 
loafs  and  invites  his  soul.  The  women  take  care  of  the 
booty,  skin  the  seals,  and  cut  them  according  to  prescribed 
rules.  They  prepare  and  cook  the  food,  dress  the  skins, 
make  clothes,  cover  the  boats ;  they  build  and  manage  the 
houses,  and  even  the  large  boats,  or  oomiaks.  The  houses  are 
built  of  stone  and  turf,  and  generally  contain  but  one  room, 
entrance  to  which  is  effected  through  a  long,  nan-ow  passage. 
In  the  single  large  room  the  entire  family,  or  more  often  an 
aggregation  of  families,  eat  and  sleep.  There  are  generally 
several  benches  in  this  room,  and  upon  these  the  inhabitants 
huddle  together  and  sleep.  Some  of  the  houses  have  fireplaces, 
but  mostly  the  room  is  heated  by  lamps  burning  blubber-oil. 
The  cooking  is  done  in  a  special  firej)lace  outside,  near  the 
entry  ;  the  fuel  used  is  peat  and  a  kind  of  guano  provided 
by  the  gulls.  The  culinary  method  is  very  simple.  Meat 
and  fish  are  eaten  both  raw  and  cooked,  and  these  edibles  are 
highly  prized  when  in  a  state  of  decomposition,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  give  a  spice  to  them.  Seal  and  whale  blubber  are 
eaten  raw,  and  because  the  Eskimos  feel  the  want  of  vegetable 
food  they  are  very  fond  of  the  contents  of  the  paunch  of  the 
reindeer — a  mixture  of  moss  and  such  spare  vegetation  as 
the  deer  can  find.  A  j)reserve  made  of  this  compound, 
mixed  with  crowberries  and  blubber,  is  another  delicate  mor- 
sel. "  Matak,^'  or  the  skin  of  whale  or  dolphin,  taken  off  the 
animal  with  the  upper  layer  of  fat  and  eaten  raw,  is  another 
Eskimo  hon  houche. 

The  social  system  of  the  West  Greenland  Eskimos  is  a 
mixture  of  their  own  traditions  and  of  modern  European 
ways.  There  is  a  modified  communism  among  them.  They 
recognize  private  property  in  the  kayak  and  its  appurtenances. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


85 


wearing  apparel,  and  certain  houseliold  effects.  Inland  there 
is  no  property,  and  the  spoils  of  the  hnnter  do  not  belong  en- 
tirely to  him.  In  the  main  the  whole  settlement  must,  as  far 
as  possible,  profit  by  the  booty  of  a  single  hunter,  so  that 
families  are  not  entirely  dependent  upon  their  own  natural 
providers.  They  have  laws  defining  the  amount  in  regard  tc 
each  animal  that  the  hunter  can  keep  for  himself  and  family, 
and  how  much  he  must  distribute  among  his  neighbors.  If 
the  whole  pro- 
vision is  not  con- 
sumed, and  there 
are  no  neighbors 
still  in  want,  the 
hunter  may  i)ut  by 
for  his  winter 
store.  But  if  want 
and  famine  come, 
then  this  store  is 
brought  out  to  be 
shared  in  common. 
It  is  a  thing  un- 
known in  Green- 
land for  some  to 
live  in  abundance 
while  others  are  in 
suffering  and  Avant 
about  them.  The 
Golden  llnle  was 
written  upon  the 
hearts  of  these 
people  and  practised  long  before  the  advent  of  the  missionary. 
Upon  going  back  to  the  ship  that  evening  I  had  an  inter- 
esting talk  with  Professor  Brewer,  who  was  in  charge  in  the 
absence  of  Dr.  Cook.     He  had  attended  the  Eskimo  church 


DENMARK   AND   GREENLAND. 


8G 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIKANDA. 


that  day,  and  gave  me  such  a  graphic  description  of  the 
services  that,  with  his  kind  permission,  I  subsequently  made 
a  copy  of  liis  account  as  given  in  liis  journal,  and  reproduce 
it  herewith. 

AVe  went  ashore  at  ten— a  dozen  of  us.  The  rain  had 
nearly  ceased,  and  numerous  rills  coursed  down  the  rocks 
opposite  the  hamlet  in  picturesque  cascades. 


THE    NARROW    PATH. 

We  had  been  told  that  the  services  began  at  ten  ;  it  was 
after  ten,  but  no  one  had  assembled,  and  so  we  waited  out- 
side. 

The  scene  was  curiously  picturesque.  The  tide  was  but 
half  in,  and  the  little  cove  by  the  church  was  yet  dry.  On 
the  slopes  were  the  huts  or  houses  of  the  natives,  and  behind 
the  rugged  rocky  hills  rose,  their  tops  obscure  and  illy  defined 
in  the  thick  air.  Little  cascades  like  white  ribbons  hung 
against  the  sides  of  the  gray  granite  hills.     A  few  i^atches  of 


THE   LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA.  87 

snow  were  near — not  many  nor  large,  but  enough  to  show 
what  Greenland  dog-days  are. 

With  the  second  bell  the  people  hurried  from  their  houses, 
almost  simultaneously,  and  the  congregation  was  quickly  as- 
sembled. We  waited  outside  until  all  were  in  but  a  few  strag- 
glers, then  went  in,  and  were  shown  front  seats,  probably 
seats  of  honor ;  but  I  should  have  preferred  to  have  been  in 
the  rear,  where  I  could  have  seen  the  congregation  better. 

The  elderly  people  sat  in  the  rear  and  the  children  in 
front :  women  on  the  left,  with  the  girls  in  front  ;  men  on 
the  right,  with  most  of  the  boys  in  front.  There  was  very 
much  coughing  by  the  natives,  especially  when  they  came 
in ;  less  so  later,  although  there  was  much  all  through  the 
service.  The  people  sat  very  close  ;  there  were  many  cliil- 
dren,  and  an  almost  continuous  cooing  of  the  babies. 

The  little  church  is  of  stone,  the  walls  over  three  feet  thick, 
whitewashed  without,  sealed  with  boards  within ;  the  boards 
painted  a  dull  pale-blue  on  the  sides,  the  ceiling  white. 

A  raised  platform  extended  along  one  end  ;  on  our  right  a 
plain  desk,  on  the  left  a  melodeon,  or  parlor  organ ;  a 
reading-stand  was  moved  to  the  middle  by  tlie  clergyman  foi- 
reading. 

Buck  there  was  an  altar  witli  crucifix  and  two  unlighted 
candles ;  in  front  a  railing  and  kneeling-step,  as  if  for  com- 
munion and  confirmations.  The  preacher  was  a  little  old 
man  with  thin  face  and  spectacles,  in  blouse  and  hood  and 
sealskin  boots.  He  was  probably  a  Dane,  but  so  bronzed  that 
he  was  as  dark  as  many  of  the  natives.  lie  had  a  kindly  face 
and  kindly,  plaintive  voice,  his  whole  look  and  voice  in  keep- 
ing with  the  place.  The  service  began  at  10.45  and  ended 
at  about  11.50. 

After  invocation  and  prayers,  there  was  singing  by  the 
congregation,  with  the  organ.  There  seemed  to  be  less  dif- 
ference between  the  male  and  fenmle  voices  than  with  our 


88 


THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF    THE    MIRAXDA. 


race.  The  melody  was  excellent,  and  also  the  time ;  the 
voices  rich,  but  thin.  The  only  dragging  I  heard  was  when 
some  of  our  party  took  up  the  time  and  sang  with  them. 
The  tunes  were  Lutlieran,  and  had  a  familiar  sound,  as  we 
have  hymn-tunes  based  on  them. 

The  hymns  were  long ;   the  singing  was  prolonged  and 


III  j)tii»i)iwiiwiiiwwiiwwi— wa— WMWWwwiMil 


AT  THE   CHURCH    DOOR. 

pleasing  in  the  extreme.  There  was  a  charm  about  it  that 
was  to  me  simply  delightful.  After  the  singing  came  what  I 
took  to  be  a  sermon,  read,  which  lasted  about  twenty-five 
minutes ;  then  more  singing  and  prayers — the  singing  of  the 
second  time  impressing  me  even  more  than  the  first.  The  time 
was  so  well  kept ;  not  a  note  of  discord.  Afterwards,  short 
prayeis,  during  which  the  babies  cooed  again  ;  not  one  cried 


90  THE   LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE    MIRAIS'DA. 

during  the  service,  but  during  the  last  part  one  or  two  fretted 
with  that  peculiar  fret  which  civilized  mothers  recognize  as 
a  sign  of  hunger.  I  suppose  the  same  was  the  case  here,  for 
I  noticed  that  in  each  case  it  stopped  suddenly,  and  that  baby 
was  not  heard  from  again. 

At  the  close  the  women  went  out  first,  the  men  remaining 
in  their  seats  until  all  the  women  were  out,  and  until  we  left. 
Indeed,  I  did  not  see  them  come  out,  as  we  went  directly  to 
our  boat  and  returned  to  the  ship. 

Of  the  many  churches  and  congregations  I  have  attended  ser- 
vices in  and  with,  never  one  more  interesting  than  this.  The 
church,  the  race,  the  quaint  costumes,  the  service,  entirely  in 
the  Eskimo  tongue,  the  music,  the  simple  service  and  devout 
attention,  made  a  picture  and  left  a  profound  impression. 

We  Avere  unable  to  make  a  start  for  the  camp  until 
August  l-t.  It  had  rained  hard  and  continually,  and  the  sea 
was  so  high  that  the  Eskimos  would  not  venture  forth,  and 
the  governor  advised  us  strongly  to  trust  to  their  instincts. 
In  the  afternoon  of  that  day  it  stopped  raining,  and  we  finally 
induced  the  Eskimos  to  make  a  start,  though  they  consented 
with  evident  unwillingness.  We  had  hardly  been  out  more 
than  an  hour  when  the  rain  began  again  to  fall  in  torrents, 
and  a  high  wind  dead  against  us,  and  a  high  sea,  made  it  the 
hardest  kind  of  work  to  reach  again  the  shelter  of  the  islands 
in  our  little  archipelago.  For  some  time  Ave  seemed  to  be 
running  a  dead  heat  Avith  a  large  rock  not  far  to  starboard  ; 
for  an  hour  or  so  we  did  not  gain  a  foot,  but  just  managed  to 
hold  our  oAvn  against  Avind  and  tide.  The  poor  Eskimos 
pulled  like  Trojans.  I  had  hold  of  the  helm,  and  had  great 
difficulty  in  keeping  the  boat's  head  to  the  wind  and  waves. 
My  hands,  incased  in  woollen  mittens,  wringing  Avet,  Avere  so 
numb  that  I  could  hardly  keep  hold  of  the  tiller.  We  had  an 
uncomfortable  night  at  camp  again,  but  not  nearly  so  bad  as 


92  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

the  former  one,  because  the  morning  after  that  memorable 
night  we  had  selected  a  better  camping-groiind  upon  a  dead 
level,  so  that  although  our  floor  was  undoubtedly  moist,  it  did 
not  this  time  resemble  a  swamp. 

When  morning  broke  it  was  clear  and  beautiful,  and  we 
started  at  last  for  our  happy  hunting-grounds  in  most  excel- 
lent spirits.  The  unveiling,  as  it  were,  of  the  magnificent 
scenery  about  us  by  the  sun^s  dispersal  of  the  heavy  mists  and 
fog  was  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  impressive  sights  I  have 
ever  witnessed.  Most  of  the  mountain  ranges  in  the  distance 
stood  out  distinctly  in  the  clear  sun,  but  the  loftiest  peaks 
were  still  veiled  by  white  clouds  of  mist.  The  keen,  clear 
air  after  the  damp  and  fog  was  exhilarating  in  the  extreme, 
and  we  broke  out  into  the  wildest  shouts  and  bacchanalian 
songs,  to  the  great  amusement  of  our  Eskimo  friends.  Just 
as  we  were  starting  and  had  our  boats  ready  to  push  off,  we 
suddenly  heard  a  volley  of  shots,  and  a  large  oomiak  hove  in 
sight,  containing  a  band  of  joyful  Eskimos  who  were  return- 
ing from  a  deer-hunt.  They  had  captured  twenty-four  deer, 
so  they  indicated,  and  held  up  a  number  of  deer-horns  to  prove 
their  assertion.  The  body  of  one  of  their  comrades  who  had 
died  on  the  expedition  was  lying  in  the  bottom  of  their  boat, 
but  this  did  not  seem  to  interfere  with  their  cheerfulness. 
Most  of  them  landed  and  gazed  at  us  with  the  greatest  curi- 
osity and  wonder,  for  they  had  been  away  in  camp  since 
before  our  arrival.  We  parted  with  many  salutations  and 
expressions  of  good  will  conveyed  through  gestures. 

We  had  a  magnificent  pull  that  day  of  about  thirty  miles 
up  the  Isortok  fiord,  blazing  away  now  and  then  at  a  guille- 
mot or  a  puffin.  We  had  a  kayak  in  tow — a  most  useful  boat 
in  an  excursion  of  this  kind ;  for  whenever  a  bird  fell  one  of 
the  Eskimos  would  get  in  the  kayak,  go  back  and  pick  up 
the  bird,  and  rejoin  us  without  delaying  our  progress.  After 
we  had  passed  the  glacier  that  I  mentioned  before,  we  rowed 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


93 


by  some  wonderful  loomeries  of  seagulls.  Steep,  precipitous 
cliffs  rose  to  a  height  of  two  or  three  thousand  feet  straight 
upward  from  the  water,  and  these  were  thickly  dotted  with 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  seagulls,  perched  in  crowds  on 


UP    ISORTOK    FIORD. 

ledges  everywhere.  As  the  Eskimos  are  very  fond  of  a  sea- 
gull stew,  and  made  signs  that  they  would  like  to  have  some 
of  the  birds,  we  fired  a  few  shots  at  some  of  the  crowded 
ledges,  and  about  half  a  dozen  birds  fell  at  every  shot.  They 
filled  the  bottom  of  our  boat,  and  looked  so  downy  white  and 
pretty  that  it  seemed  almost  a  shame  to  sacrifice  them,  but 
our  provisions  were  so  scarce  that  this  slaughter  of  the  in- 
nocents was  a  necessity.  The  shots  caused  the  birds  to  jump 
from  their  perches,  and  soon  countless  thousands  of  screaming 
gulls  were  circling  all  about  us.  It  was  impossible  to  make 
any  adequate  estimate  of  their  numbers. 

We  reached  Ovir  camping-grounds  at  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  pitched  our  two  tents  upon  a  mossy  pla- 


94 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OE   THE   MIEANDA. 


teau  on  the  banks  of  a  narrow  stream.  All  around  us  the 
great,  gaunt  mountains  arose,  and  near  by  a  huge  glacier 
coursed  downward  to  the  sea.  The  next  morning  we  were  up 
by  five  o'clock,  and  each  one  took  an  Eskimo  guide,  and  go- 
ing his  own  way,  started  to  hunt  the  reindeer  which  are  said 
to  inhabit  these  regions.  By  nightfall  the  party  were  back 
in  camp  again,  tired,  hungry,  disappointed;  for  not  a  deer 
had  even  been  seen.  We  had  ascended  high  mountains  and 
descended  into  valleys,  clambered  over  rocks  and  snow,  and 
all  sorts  of  precipitous  places,  but  not  even  the  sight  of  a 


HUNTING    GROUNDS. 

deer  had  rewarded  our  efforts.  Here  and  there  we  found 
footprints,  but  this  was  all.  I  regret  to  have  to  record  this 
fact ;  but  as  a  truthful  historian  I  am  compelled  to  admit 
that,  though  we  wandered  over  this  country  for  days,  we  saw 
no  deer  at  all.  Either  a  bird  had  carried  the  news  to  the  deer 
that  we  were  coming  and  they  had  wisely  moved  inland,  or — 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRANDA. 


95 


a  somewliat  more  probable  supposition — the  Eskimos  did  not 
want  us  to  get  any  deer,  and  had  brought  us  to  an  unlikely 
spot — a  ground  that  liad  recently  been  hunted  over.  The 
reindeer  are  very  necessary  to  the  Eskimos,  not  only  for  food, 
but  also  for  their  skins,  which  are  utilized  for  various  pur- 
poses; small  wonder,  then,  if  they  are  not  anxious  to  assist 


NO  DEER   IN   SIGHT. 

strangers  in  capturing  these  valuable  animals.  Had  we  had 
time  to  strike  our  tents  and  move  inland,  I  have  no  doubt 
we  should  have  found  fine  sport.  Clark,  indeed,  reported  that 
he  had  seen  deer  on  several  occasions  about  the  camp  when 
the  rest  of  us  were  far  away  ;  but  Clark  was  not  fond  of  soli- 
tude, and   was  apt  to  solace  himself   by  fishing  out  of   the 


96  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

tent  some  hidden  bottle  ;  and  after  he  had  indulged  in  a  soli- 
tary seance  he  was  apt  to  see  any  animal — not  excepting 
snakes.  But  though  we  got  no  deer,  we  caught  quantities  of 
salmon  and  salmon -trout  in  the  stream  near  us,  and  also 
lake -trout,  in  the  clear  fresh -water  lakes,  which  were  all 
about  us.  Our  stream  was  simply  teeming  with  fish.  I 
know  that  fish  stories  are  generally  taken  with  a  grain  of  salt, 
and  often  with  more  liberal  quantities  ;  but  as  1  have  been 
truthful  about  the  deer,  though  in  so  far-away  a  region  it 
would  be  easy  to  draw  upon  the  imagination  without  de- 
tection, my  word  shoul  I  be  relied  upon  as  regards  the  amount 
of  fish  we  caught.  This  is  a  fact  :  during  an  afternoon^s 
sport  one  of  our  party  caught  one  hundred,  and  sixty-two 
salmon  -  trout,  and  another  within  an  hour's  time  captured 
forty-five.  The  Eskimos  had  a  little  set-net  with  which  they 
caught  some  beautiful  large  salmon,  and  they  also  gaffed  the 
fish  with  great  skill.  We  sim]3ly  revelled  in  salmon  and 
trout.  I  know  of  nothing  finer  than  a  salmon  just  out  of 
the  water,  or  a  large  salmon-trout  baked  upon  a  flat  rock. 
Any  one  who  has  indulged  in  this  luxury  out  in  the  open  after 
a  day's  sport  can  bear  me  out  in  the  assertion.  Up  in  the 
highlands  we  found  those  delicious  birds,  the  ptarmigan,  and 
on  the  water  we  shot  guillemots,  murres,  and  puffin,  so  that 
we  managed  to  live  Avell  in  spite  of  our  hick  of  venison. 

On  August  19  we  bid  a  regretful  farewell  to  our  camp,  for 
it  was  time  for  us  to  get  back  to  the  Miranda.  Dr.  Cook 
was  expected  back  within  ten  days  from  the  time  of  starting, 
and  we  did  not  want  to  take  any  chances  of  causing  a  delay. 
We  carried  back  to  our  comrades  on  the  ship  two  hundred 
pounds  of  salmon.  There  was  one  thing  we  were  glad  to 
leave  behind  us,  and  that  w^as  an  old  familiar  pest — the  mos- 
quito. I  have  come  to  think  that  Greenland  is  the  father- 
land of  the  mosquito  ;  for  over  its  wastes  it  breeds  and  multi- 
plies in  a  way  that  gives  evidence  of  a  most  conducive  environ- 


98  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

ment.  We  made  face-masks  of  mosquito-netting  and  wire  to 
wear  when  out  hunting,  otherwise  the  torture  would  have 
been  unbearable.  All  day  long  we  rowed,  spelling  each  other 
at  intervals,  and  reached  the  ship  at  about  ten  in  the  even- 
ing. Of  course,  it  was  still  light  at  that  time.  We  had  no 
night  as  we  understand  it,  only  a  few  hours  of  dusk  or  twi- 
light. We  were  about  forty  miles  from  the  Arctic  Circle. 
Across  that  the  Arctic  summer  is  one  long  day. 

"  A  polar  day,  which  will  not  see 
A  sunset  till  its  summer's  gone — 
Its  sleepless  summer  of  long  light, 
The  snow-clad  offspring  of  the  sun." 

The  glacier  party  had  returned  a  few  hours  earlier,  but  Dr. 
Cook  and  his  associates  had  not  yet  put  in  an  appearance. 
Professor  Wright  and  his  party  were  much  pleased  with  the 
results  of  their  trip,  although  they,  as  we,  had  had  a  pretty 
rough  time  of  it  with  rain  and  wind  storms.  They  had  been 
enabled  during  the  few  fine  days  to  explore  and  measure  sev- 
eral glaciers  pretty  thoroughly,  however,  and  Mr.  Kersting 
had  secured  a  number  of  photographs — pictures  taken  with 
great  labor  and  pains,  and  destined  soon  to  be  carried  down 
into  the  sea.  From  notes  supplied  by  him  I  am  enabled  to 
give  a  brief  account  of  this  expedition.  The  party  started  Au- 
gust 9  in  a  whale-boat,  loaned  by  Governor  Bistrup,  with  two 
dories  from  the  Miranda  as  convoys.  They  took  with  them 
five  Eskimos  as  guides  and  to  help  with  the  rowing.  At  sun- 
set they  reached  Ikamuit,  a  small  Eskimo  settlement  contain- 
ing four  houses.  The  year  before  the  place  had  been  almost 
entirely  swept  away  by  a  great  body  of  water  that  rushed 
down  from  a  neighboring  mountain  and  swept  away  the  little 
igloos  and  drowned  several  inhabitants.  Ikamuit  signifies 
*'  place  without  shelter."  The  party  found  it  worthy  of  its 
name,  for  they  were  caught  in  the  same  storm  that  overtook 


\^  f 


I 


I 


100  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

our  hunting-party,  and  had  much  the  same  kind  of  an  ex- 
perience. For  six  days  they  were  pinned  to  their  camp  by  the 
fury  of  the  elements,  and  only  short  excursions  were  taken  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood.  On  Sunday,  the  third  day  out, 
the  storm  abated  somewhat,  and  in  rambling  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  camp  Mr.  Kersting  came  across  an  Eskimo  girl  en- 
gaged in  pulling  the  skins  from  a  number  of  ducks  that  had 
evidently  been  killed  several  days,  for  the  flesh  was  black  and 
covered  with  maggots.  She  scraped  these  from  one  of  the 
ducks,  and  offered  it  to  the  stranger  with  true  Eskimo  hos- 
pitality. But  he  refused  the  generous  offer :  so  she  laugh- 
ingly took  her  ducks  where  they  Avould  be  appreciated,  and 
soon  the  entire  little  settlement  fell  upon  tlie  birds  and  de- 
voured them,  without  either  cooking  or  cleaning.  De  gtisti- 
hus  non  est  disputandum. 

In  front  of  the  camp  ran  a  little  brook,  and  here  the  party 
performed  their  ablutions,  and  here  the  Eskimos  would  gather 
to  watch  them  go  through  these  strange  and  novel  perform- 
ances. The  process  of  brushing  the  teeth  filled  them  with 
unbounded  wonder,  but  when  one  of  the  party  removed  a  set 
of  artificial  teeth  and  washed  them  there  was  almost  a  terrified 
stampede,  and  he  became  an  object  of  superstitious  awe  and 
veneration.  Surely  a  man  who  could  remove  his  teeth  could 
remove  mountains. 

On  Sunday  morning  a  simple  service  was  held  by  the 
natives  in  one  of  the  huts  ;  it  consisted  mostly  of  the  singing 
of  hymns.  In  the  afternoon  Professor  Wright  held  service  in 
the  tent,  and  all  the  Eskimos  attended. 

On  the  following  day  members  of  the  party  tried  their 
hands  at  fishing,  but  did  not  have  much  success  until  a  couple 
of  little  Eskimo  girls  came  along  and  set  the  pace  for  them. 
They  carried  a  short  stick  with  a  sealskin  line  attached  about 
five  feet  in  length.  They  threw  these  lines  by  the  rocks  and 
pulled  them  up  and  down,  and  soon  had  a  mess  of  cod.     The 


THE   LAST   CKUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA.  101 

Eskimo  method  was  adopted  with  success  by  the  stranger- 
fishermen.  Quantities  of  black  mussels  were  found,  which 
were  converted  into  an  excellent  soup. 

On  the  14:th  a  dory  containing  Messrs.  Dove  and  Rumrill 
started  for  the  Miranda.  Mr.  Dove  was  wearied  of  Green- 
land camp-life,  and  Mr.  Rumrill  returned  to  get  some  oil  and 
other  necessary  articles.  On  Thursday  the  weather  cleared, 
tents  were  struck,  and  all  hands  took  to  the  boats  and  pulled 
away  to  make  the  Similik  glacier.  On  several  occasions 
the  camp  had  been  left  entirely  in  charge  of  the  Eskimos, 
and  though  it  contained  for  them  great  luxuries,  such  as 
coffee  and  tobacco,  nothing  was  touched  or  taken.  On 
Friday  the  party  clambered  over  the  great  glacier  and  made 
about  five  miles  toward  the  inland  ice,  crossing  broad  cre- 
vasses, and  carefully  avoiding  many  pitfalls,  cracks,  and  soft 
snow. 

On  Saturday  the  party  started  for  Sukkertoppeu,  but  had 
not  proceeded  far  before  they  were  overtaken  by  a  severe  storm 
and  were  forced  to  take  shelter  upon  an  island.  They  managed 
to  get  up  a  tent,  but  so  strong  was  the  wind  that  members  of 
the  party  spelled  one  another  all  night  long  in  holding  the  tent 
down  and  keeping  it  and  their  belongings  from  being  blown 
into  the  water.  On  the  next  day  the  party  succeeded  in  get- 
ting back  to  the  Miranda,  tired  out  with  their  fierce  struggle 
with  the  elements,  but  happy  over  the  ultimate  success  of 
their  trip.  The  results  of  this  trip,  as  well  as  other  observa- 
tions on  glacial  phenomena,  are  given  by  Professor  Wright  in 
the  able  article  which  he  has  contributed  to  this  book. 

At  abouo  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  August  20  a 
great  cheer  arose,  and  on  going  on  deck  I  saw  a  small  schooner 
riding  in  to  our  harbor,  surrounded  by  great  numbers  of 
kayaks.  It  was  not  long  before  Dr.  Cook  and  his  party  came 
rowing  over  to  the  Miranda,  and  they  were  received  with 
great  enthusiasm,  as  can  well  be  imagined.     The  schooner 


102  THE    LAST    CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

they  had  secured  was  the  Rigel,  commanded  by  Captain 
Greorge  W.  Dixon,  of  Gloucester,  Mass.  The  history  of  the 
expedition  after  the  schooner  is  a  very  interesting  one,  and  I 
have  abridged  it  from  the  diary  of  one  of  the  members,  Mr. 
Russell  W.  Porter,  who  kindly  placed  his  notes  at  my  dis- 
posal. For  a  fuller  description  of  this  trip  I  can  refer  my 
readers  to  Mr.  Porter's  own  narrative. 

The  expedition  started,  as  I  mentioned  before,  at  about 
six  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  August  10.  Early  the  next 
morning  they  arrived  at  Kangarmuit,  otherwise  known  as  Old 
Sukkertoppen.  Here  they  remained  for  a  day  and  a  half  on 
account  of  bad  weather,  being  allowed  by  the  governor  to 
take  up  their  quarters  in  the  loft  of  the  church,  as  there  was 
no  other  building  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  party. 
On  Sunday  morning,  the  12th,  they  started  away,  and  sailed 
mtil  eleven  that  night,  when  they  camped  upon  a  small 
island.  They  broke  camp  the  following  morning,  but  as  there 
was  a  heavy  wind  and  rain  storm,  they  found  that  they  could 
make  no  progress,  and  were  obliged  to  go  into  camp  again. 
For  two  days  the  storm  continued,  and  they  had  great  diffi- 
culty in  keeping  the  tent  from  blowing  away.  The  party 
finally  got  away  early  on  August  15,  and  sailed  and  rowed  for 
sixteen  hours,  arriving  at  Holsteinborg  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  On  the  way  they  stopped  at  Itirdlek,  a  small  settle- 
ment, to  inquire  about  the  schooners.  No  schooners  were 
there,  but  some  were  reported  at  Nepisat,  not  far  away  ;  they 
went  to  Nepisat,  but  found  no  ships,  and  so  went  on  to  Hol- 
steinborg. As  they  neared  this  place  they  ran  up  the  Ameri- 
can flag  and  fired  a  salute  with  rifles  ;  a  Danish  flag  was  im- 
mediately run  up  on  shore,  and  an  answering  salute  tired  from 
the  governor's  cannon.  They  were  hospitably  entertained  by 
Governor  Muller,  of  Holsteinborg,  who  made  the  party  take 
their  meals  at  his  house,  and  gave  them  a  room  in  one  of 
His  outhouses.     They  found  out  that  the  schooner  Rigel,  of 


104  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

Gloucester,  Mass.,  had  left  Holsteinborg  on  the  previous  day 
for  the  Banks,  and  that  there  Avere  five  other  schooners  out- 
side. Three  of  the  party  were  detailed  to  go  to  the  top  of  a 
neighboring  mountain,  eighteen  hundred  feet  high,  to  look 
for  a  schooner  with  a  spy-glass  ;  but  they  had  hardly  started 
before  a  schooner  was  seen  bearing  west  by  south.  Mr. 
Eogers  went  back  to  inform  Dr.  Cook,  and  an  Eskimo  in 
a  kayak  was  sent  over  to  the  schooner.  Two  of  the  party 
continued  the  ascent  of  the  mountain,  and  plunged  into  a 
driving  snow-storm  about  four  hundred  feet  from  the  summit. 
In  the  evening  they  returned  to  the  governor's  house,  where 
the  party  was  assembled,  and  shortly  afterward  news  was 
brought  that  a  dory  had  been  sighted  coming  up  the  harbor. 
The  dory  proved  to  contain  Captain  Dixon,  of  the  schooner 
Rigel.  The  schooner  had  been  five  months  out  from  Glouces- 
ter, and  had  recently  come  from  fishing  on  the  Iceland  coast. 

The  day  before  several  couriers  had  been  despatched  in 
kayaks  to  scour  the  surrounding  waters  for  any  of  the  reported 
schooners,  and  they  bore  letters  from  Dr.  Cook  calling  for 
assistance.  One  of  these  couriers  had  boarded  the  Rigel  near 
Itirdlet,  and  so  Captain  Dixon  had  come  over  post-haste  to 
Holsteinborg,  arriving  at  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
In  talking  over  the  matter  with  Dr.  Cook  Captain  Dixon 
said  that  before  he  could  go  to  the  rescue  of  the  people  on 
board  the  Miranda  he  would  have  to  consult  with  his  crew, 
as  they  were  co-operative  sharers  in  the  profits  of  the  fishing 
trip,  which  would  have  to  be  abandoned  if  the  rescue  were 
made  at  once.  He  said  that  his  trip  would  be  over  about 
September  5,  and  that  he  could  then  call  at  Sukkertoppen ; 
but  if  his  men  were  willing  to  give  up  the  trip  and  start  for 
Sukkertoppen  at  once  he  would  bring  his  schooner  up  in  the 
offing  in  the  morning  and  fly  liis  flag  as  a  signal.  He  then 
left  to  go  back  to  the  Rigel. 

The  following  morning  a  man  was  detailed  to  mount  the 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


105 


hill  and  look  for  a  signal  from  the  schooner.  She  was  sighted 
flying  her  flag  and  making  north.  The  party  collected  their 
baggage,  and  after  bidding  farewell  to  the  hospitable  gov- 
ernor they  boarded  the  Rigel,  which  was  lying  about  a  mile 
from  the  harbor,  and  set  sail  for  Sukkertoppen.  Captain 
Dixon  was  obliged  to  exercise  much  caution,  for  the  waters 


\ 


THE   COMING   OF   THE   RIGEU 

Avere  strange  to  liim,  and  three  dangers  threatened  him — fog, 
ice,  and  sunken  rocks.  As  it  was,  the  schooner  struck  a 
sunken  rock  at  the  outset  of  the  journey,  but  after  bumping 
several  times  she  cleared  it  without  serious  damage. 

On  the  morning  of  August  20,  when  the  scliooner  had 
been  sighted  from  the  Miranda,  Captain  Farrell  rowed  out 
to  meet  her,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  two  captain8[had 


lOG  THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    MIKAKDA. 

come  to  terms.  It  was  agreed  between  them  that  14,000 
should  be  paid  to  Captain  Dixon  as  a  recompense  for  breaking 
in  upon  his  fishing  trip,  and  for  carrying  the  passengers  to 
some  port  where  they  could  get  transportation  home.  It  was 
also  agreed  that  the  schooner  should  accompany  the  Miranda 
to  some  convenient  port  of  repair,  and  that  the  crew  of  the 
schooner  should  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  rescue  the 
officers  and  crew  of  the  Miranda  in  case  the  steamer  should 
founder  or  have  to  be  abandoned — the  recompense  for  this  to 
be  settled  by  arbitration,  or  by  mutual  agreement  between  the 
agents  of  the  schooner  and  the  underwriters  of  the  Miranda. 
At  first  glance  it  might  seem  to  the  reader  that  $4,000  for 
taking  the  party  to  a  port  of  safety  was  rather  high  ;  but  a  few 
words  suffice  to  show  that  it  was  only  a  just  and  moderate 
charge.  In  the  first  place,  it  must  be  remembered  that  our 
party,  with  the  Miranda's  crew,  numbered  seventy-five  men 
all  told,  making  the  price  per  head  a  trifle  over  fifty-three 
dollars.  Then  Captain  Dixon  was  obliged  to  give  up  finish- 
ing out  his  fishing  trip,  and  a  trip  into  these  regions  means 
considerable  expense  and  great  hardships.  An  average  catch 
of  halibut  would  net  16,000.  Again,  half  the  sum  netted  by 
a  fishing  schooner  of  the  kind  goes  to  the  owners  of  the 
vessel  ;  the  remainder  is  divided  between  the  captain  and 
crew.  Indeed,  Captain  Dixon  generously  offered  to  take  the 
entire  party  homeward  for  nothing  if  they  would  consent  to 
remain  in  Greenland  two  or  three  weeks  longer  and  allow  him 
to  finish  his  fishing.  But  the  inadequate  stock  of  provisions 
made  it  dangerous  to  remain  even  for  this  short  period  of 
time.  In  truth,  the  expedition  was  at  the  mercy  of  this  big- 
hearted  captain  ;  he  could  have  demanded  any  sum  that  he 
pleased.  As  it  turned  out,  the  contract  made  proved  to  be 
in  no  way  binding  upon  the  Miranda's  owners.  They  felt 
themselves  in  nowise  bound  to  pay  the  $4,000,  and  did  not 
do  so.    They  held  that  in  losing  the  ship,  notwithstanding 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA.  107 

its  insurance,  they  had  themselves  Erffered  considerable  loss. 
The  law  does  not  hold  a  company  responsible  for  a  contract 
made  with  a  captain  under  these  circumstances.  Had  the 
Miranda  been  brought  into  port,  then  Captain  Dixon  would 
have  had  a  legally  recognized  claim.  As  it  was,  he  could  not 
recover  even  for  the  losses  he  had  sustained  in  making  room 
for  the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  steamer.  At  no  time, 
before  or  after  the  repudiation  of  the  contract,  has  Captain 
Dixon  made  any  claim  upon  the  passengers  of  the  Miranda 
for  the  great  service  he  had  rendered  them.  Of  their  own 
volition  they  started  a  subscription,  to  which  the  Miranda's 
company  contributed  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and 
have  forwarded  him  something  over  one -half  the  sum  the 
contract  called  for.  This  little  volume  has  been  issued  in  the 
hope  that  the  profits  arising  from  its  sale  may  at  least  amount 
to  a  fair  portion  of  the  balance  morally,  if  not  legally,  due  to 
the  captain  and  crew  of  the  Rigel. 

After  the  agreements  between  the  two  captains  had  been 
drawn  up  and  witnessed  by  the  first  officer  of  the  Miranda 
and  the  two  Governors  of  Sukkertoppen,  preparations  were 
immediately  made  for  the  reception  of  the  Miranda's  passen- 
gers on  board  the  Rigel.  Tliere  were  four  bunks  in  the  after- 
cabin,  which  were  reserved  for  the  older  members  of  our  party. 
A  place  was  cleared  in  the  after-hold,  used  mainly  as  a  store- 
room for  salt ;  fifty  hundredweight  of  salt  was  taken  out,  with 
some  lumber,  and  presented  to  the  Eskimos,  and  $800  worth 
of  fishing  tackle  was  thrown  away,  in  order  to  make  room  for 
our  party.  Thus  a  space  was  cleared  about  twenty  feet  long, 
fifteen  wide,  and  four  feet  high  ;  a  door  communicated  with 
the  cabin,  and  in  this  space  sleeping  room  for  thirty  passen- 
gers was  divided  off.  The  crew  of  the  liiyel  willingly  turned 
out  of  their  quarters  to  make  room  for  the  Miranda's  passen- 
gers, and  all  crowded  into  tbe  forecastle. 

Tl>e  evening  of  August  20  was  our  last  at  Sukkertoppen. 


108 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIEAJiTDA. 


Most  of  our  party  Avent  over  to  pay  their  final  respects  to  the 
kind  governors  and  their  ladies^  for  it  was  arranged  that  Ave 
should  start  on  the  folloAving  morning.  As  I  came  out  of 
the  governors^  house  I  found  an  Eskimo  dance  in  progress 
on  a  little  square  near  the  house.  Two  or  three  Eskimo  girls 
at  once  seized  me  and  laughingly  pulled  me  into  the  dance — a 
very  lively  and  energetic  one — and  so  I  jigged  away  for  an 


y 


wi 


COMING    TO    SAY    GOOD-BYE. 

hour  or  more,  to  my  own  amusement  and  that  of  the  Eskimos. 
And  how  they  do  dance,  tliese  little  people  !  With  their  whole 
bodies  and  with  their  whole  souls.  An  Eskimo  dance  is  a 
scene  of  life,  of  rapid  movement,  of  intense  enjoyment.  No 
sad  funereal  faces,  or  bodies  somberly  clad  in  black,  as  if  in  deep 
mourning  for  their  folly  or  their  sins,  and  moving  dejected- 
ly and  regretfully,  among  the  jovial  Eskimo  men.     And  the 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


109 


women,  their  lithe  bodies  clad  in  garments  that  give  freedom 
to  every  movement ;  they  do  not  appear  to  tliink  that  there  is 
any  credit  in  being  jolly  at  a  dance.  How  they  fling  and  swing 
themselves  about,  dancing  in  perfect  time — dancing  all  over, 
from  tlie  tip-top  of  their  waving,  nodding  top-knots  to  the 
tips  of  their  energetic  little  toes  !  I  should  like  to  witness 
with  what  wonder,  with  what  laughter,  these  little  ladies  would 


A   FAREWELL   GLIMPSE. 

look  upon  the  sad- eyed  swains  at  one  of  our  fashionable  balls. 
They  make  the  best  of  their  surroundings,  despite  their  hard 
environment.  Verily,  verily,  an  Eskimo  missionary  might 
teach  us  a  few  things. 

The  Eskimo  dances  are  not  national.  European  and 
American  whalers  have  been  the  dancing-masters,  and  so  the 
Eskimos  can  waltz  and  polka,  but  the  reel  they  love  best,  and 


110 


THE    LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE    MIRAISTDA. 


a  variety  of  reels  they  have  made  their  own,  and  these  have 
assumed  a  certain  national  character. 

It  was  cold  and  misty  the  next  morning,  and  a  fine  drizzle 
was  falling.     Canvas  had   been   spread  over  the  salt  in  the 

after-hold  of  the  schooner, 
and  over  this  we  put  our 
matti'esses    side    by   side. 
Each   man   had    just  his 
mattress  room, — that  was 
all, —  and  every  bit   of 
space  was  taken  up.     On 
account  of  the  limited 
space,  we  could  bring  only 
a  few  necessaries  on   the 
schooner.   The  little  vessel 
w'as  but  ninety-nine  feet 
long,  and  of  one  hundred 
and  seven  tons  burden. 
To  insure  against  sepa- 
ration in  case  of  fog  or  in  the  darkness,  it  was  decided  that 
the  steamer  should  tow  the  schooner,  so  the  tw^o  were  con- 
nected  with    a    cable    line,    and   a     system   of   signals  was 
arranged  between  the  two  captains,  in  order  that  they  could 
communicate  in  case  of  need  or  accident.     It  Avas  hoped  that 
the  Miranda  could  make  the  run  to  St.  Johns  with  safety, 
or  at  any  rate  that  she  could  be  run   in  somewhere  on  the 
Labrador  coast.     At  about   ten   o'clock  we  got  under  way. 
The  American  flag  was  run  up  on   our  mainmast,  and  was 
greeted  with  loud  cheers.     The  Miranda  being  an  English 
ship,    and   sailing   under   a  British  charter,  of   course,  flew 
English  colors,  so  now  for  the  first  time  we  were  sailing  under 
the  Stars  and  Stripes.     We  all  removed  our  hats,  though  a 
drizzling  rain  was  falling,  and  sang  in  a  swelling  chorus  the 
"Star-Spangled  Banner/'  and  "My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee." 


GOVERNORS'    HOUSE. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA.  Ill 

It  was  an  impressive  scene,  and  one  that  will  always  live  in 
my  memory.  Near  ns,  in  a  large  boat,  rowed  by  Eskimos, 
were  the  governors  and  their  ladies,  who  had  come  to  bid  us 
a  final  farewell.  We  gave  them  cheer  upon  cheer,  which  they 
returned,  and  in  which  the  Eskimo  rowers  joined.  On  shore 
a  solid  phalanx  of  Eskimos  was  drawn  up,  rapidly  firing  part- 
ing salutes,  and  all  about  us  the  kayaks  darted,  and  the 
little  kayakers  waved  us  a  last  good-by.  Gradually  the  Mi- 
randa towed  us  out  of  the  harbor  into  the  open  sea,  and 
the  mists  fell  about  us,  and  the  shores  of  Greenland  were  hid- 
den from  our  sight.  And  another  mist,  too,  gathered  in  the 
eyes  of  many  a  member  of  the  expedition,  straining  his  vision 
to  catch  a  last  glimpse  of  a  place  that  had  become  endeared  to 
us  all  by  many  acts  of  courtesy  and  kindness.  There  is  a  deep 
pathos  in  a  farewell  when  human  beings  whom  chance  has 
brought  together  in  the  close  companionship  of  strange  places 
look  upon  one  another's  faces  for  the  last  time,  knowing  that 
in  life  they  shall  not  meet  again.  Farewell — a  long  farewell  to 
the  warm  hearts  in  that  stout  little  Danish  house  perched  on  the 
cold  and  barren  rocks  of  Greenland  ;  and  farewell,  too,  to  the 
little  people  who  gather  near  by  and  make  the  night  merry 
with  dancing  and  laughter  !  Somewhere — somewhere,  when 
the  mists  have  all  rolled  away,  may  we  meet  again  I 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  rain 
which  began  to 
fall  on  the 
morning  we 
started  from 
Sukkertoppen 
continued  to 
fall   for  four 

days  with  scarcely  an  intermission.  There  was  no  shelter  to 
seek  on  deck  of  any  kind ;  it  was  cold,  wet,  and  disagreeable, 
while  below  the  air  was  so  close  and  foul  that  it  made  most  of 
us  seasick,  so  that  we  alternated  between  the  devil  and  the  deep 
sea  with  a  vengeance.  A  generous  mixture  of  the  odor  of  fish 
and  bilge-water  in  an  overcrowded  apartment  in  the  after- 
hold  combined  to  make  the  most  powerful  and,  I  think,  the 
most  disagreeable  smell  that  I  have  ever  been  subjected  to. 
To  add  to  our  misery,  the  hatchway,  which  supplied  light 
and  air  to  the  after-hold,  had  often  to  be  closed  on  account  of 
the  stormy  weather,  as  for  a  great  part  of  the  time  the  waves 
were  washing  all  over  our  decks.  In  the  night  the  extremely 
close  quarters,  the  foul  odor,  and  the  groans,  to  say  nothing 
of  other  noises,  of  the  seasick  ones,  made  us  feel  as  if  we  had 
descended  into  a  veritable  miniature  inferno.  But  perpetual 
adaptation  to  environment,  says  Spencer,  is  the  law  of  life; 
and,  in  accordance  with  this  kindly  law,  we  gradually  grew 
accustomed  to  our  new  surroundings,  and  our  sense  of  smell 
grew  dull  even  to  bilge- water. 

Owing  to  the  size  of  the  schooner's  cooking-stove,  it  was 
impossible  to  prepare  for  so  large  a  crowd  more  than  two 
meals  a  day,  and  these  meals  were  necessarily  limited  to  a 


CAPTAIN  GEORGE  W.  DIXON. 


114 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


few  articles  of  consumption.  Salt  beef,  fish  chowder,  halibut 
fins,  potatoes,  oatmeal,  coffee,  tea,  and  bread  were  the  staple 
articles  of  food  and  drink.  We  did  not  enjoy  all  these  deli- 
cacies at  any  one  time,  of  course,  for  the  cook  varied  them 
with  excellent  judgment.  The  cook,  too,  had  a  fine  and  epi- 
curean imagination,  which  helped  us  out  not  a  little.  For  if, 
like  the  Marchioness  with  her  orange-peel  and  water,  we  all 
made  believe  a  good  deal,  and  tried  to  live  up  to  the  cook's 
romantic  descriptions  of  his  viands,  we  fared  very  sumptu- 
ously indeed.  As  he  ladled  out  the  solitary  viand  or  two  upon 
the  tin  plates  which  served  as  an  omnium  gatherum  and 
passed  them  to  a  waiter  standing  at  the  entrance  to  his  little 
cock-pit,   his   cheery   voice  would   ring  out :    "  Pass  round 

the  roast  goose, 
George;  apple 
sass,  and  a  little 
paddy  de  f  oi  grass, 
turkey,  or  chicken 
fricasee,  if  the 
gents  prefer  it ! 
Fill  the  glasses 
with  claret,  then 
pass  round  the 
champagne — 1  i  v  e- 
ly,  George  —  live- 
ly! "etc.  While 
to  offset  this  ro- 
mantic i  s  m  the 
realistic  George 
would  shout  in 
stentorian  tones  :  "  One  on  the  salt  horse,  without  harness  ! 
One  on  halibut  fin  I"  However,  T  noted  comrades  who  were 
epicures  on  shore  picking  at  halibut  fin  with  rare  relish,  for 
there  is  no  sauce  like  hunger ;   and  then,  as  the  Marchioness 


THE   GOOD   SHIP   RIGEL. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


115 


said,  if  you  only  make  believe  enough,  orange-peel  and  water 
is  very  nice  indeed. 

As  only  about  fifteen  of  us  could  get  into  the  little  fore- 
castle, which  served  both  as  a  general  dining-room  and  a 
sleeping-room  for  the  RigeVs  crew,  we  managed  to  keep  the 
cook  pretty  busy ;  in  fact,  the  meals  lasted  the  greater  part 
of  the  day.  "The  forecastle  was  small,  but  it  afforded  a  great 
variety  of  motion  ;  for  here  the  pitching  and  tossing  of  the 
little  vessel  could  be  felt  in  full  force.  It  was  like  being 
tossed  in  a  blanket  almost,  for  at  times  a  powerful  jerk  would 
come  from  the  2Iiranda  along  the  tow-line  that  Avould  seem 
to  send  the  little  schooner  flying  in  the  air.  But  it  was  not 
long  before  the  steamer  and  the  schooner  were  obliged  to  part 
company — a  thing  which,  judging  from  the  strain  on  the 
cable,  they  were  perpetually  endeavoring  to  accomplish. 

On  the  second  day  out — August  23 — we  encountered  very 
heavy  swells,  and  we  could  see  that  the  Mira^ida  was  rolling 
badly.  How  long  the  top  of  the  ballast-tank  could  stand  the 
strain  of  so  heavy  a  sea  was  a  question  that  was  answered 
sooner  than  we  anticipated.  As  darkness  fell  about  us  a  red 
light  gleamed  from  the  steamer's  deck,  indicating  that  trouble 
was  anticipated.  At  a  few  minutes  after  midnight  three 
shrieks  came  from  the  steamer's  whistle  in  rapid  succession. 
This  was  the  signal  that  she  was  in  sore  distress,  and  the  red 
light  was  hung  over  the  stern  as  a  warning  for  Captain  Dixon 
to  be  in  readiness.  The  speed  of  the  Mira7ida  was  slackened, 
and  as  the  two  vessels  came  together  Captain  Farrell  hailed 
Captain  Dixon  to  be  ready,  as  the  steamer  was  in  a  sinking 
condition.  Immediately  Captain  Dixon  hailed  back  to  him 
to  cut  the  cable  and  drop  off  in  the  boats,  and  that  the  liiffel 
would  pick  them  up.  But  Captain  Farrell  answered  back 
that  he  would  try  to  stand  by  the  ship  until  daylight.  Cap- 
tain Dixon  hailed  again,  begging  Cajitain  Farrell  to  take  no 
risks.     The  gains  that  salvage  would  bring  him  appeared  not 


116 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


to  influence  him  in  the  least  ;  his  only  thought  was  for  the 
safety  of  his  fellow-men  upon  the  doomed  ship,  and  his  great 
human  heart  beat  in  anxiety  for  them. 

Shortly  after  eleven  o^clock  at  niglit  a  fire  had  broken  out 


THE   SECOND   DAY  OUT. 

in  the  second  cabin  of  the  Miranda,  and  this  had  hardly  been 
extinguished  when  the  chief  engineer,  Mr.  Dibbs,  reported 
that  the  top  of  the  water-ballast  tank  had  given  way  under  the 
immense  strain  caused  by  the  high  sea.  At  the  sight  of  water 
rushing  in  the  firemen  stampeded  to  the  deck  in  a  panic,  and 
attempted  to  launch  one  of  the  lifeboats,  but  only  succeeded 
in  smashing  it  against  the  iron  sides  of  the  ship.  Captain 
Farrell  promptly  restored  order,  and  the  firemen  were  sent 
below  again.  The  leaks  in  the  tank  were  partially  stopped 
by  means  of  pillows  and  mattresses-  stufted  into  the  holes; 
but  this  was   only  a  temporary  expedient  :    the  ship  was 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA.  117 

in  a  sinking  condition,  and  the  signals  of  distress  were 
given. 

From  the  deck  of  the  Rigel  we  could  dimly  see  prepara- 
tions going  on  aboard  the  Miranda  for  leaving  the  ship, 
though  eometimes  we  lost  sight  of  her  altogether  in  the  hol- 
low of  the  sea.  At  the  capstan  of  tlie  schooner  stood  Captain 
Dixon  with  a  sharp  axe  in  hand,  ready  to  cut  the  hawser 
that  connected  us  with  the  Miranda  should  she  suddenly 
founder  and  sink.  It  was  an  anxious  time  for  us  on  the 
schooner,  straining  our  eyes  in  the  darkness  upon  the  flaring 
red  light  of  the  Miranda,  ever  appearing  and  disappearing  as 
the  ship  rolled  in  the  heavy  sea. 

As  the  gray  dawn  began  to  streak  the  sky  the  first  boat- 
load of  the  Miranda's  crew  came  rowing  over  to  the  Rigel. 
This  contained  the  steward  and  several  of  his  men,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  safe  on  board  the  boat  was  sent  over  to  the 
Miranda  again,  and  three  dories  from  the  Rigel  were  also 
launched.  It  was  a  sight  long  to  be  remembered,  that  of  the 
little  boats  plying  between  the  disabled  steamer  and  the 
schooner,  and  bringing  over  the  crew  in  sections,  and  such 
necessary  baggage  as  could  hastily  be  got  together.  The 
boats  rose  and  fell  on  the  swelling  sea,  and  were  often  lost  to 
view,  only  to  rise  again  on  the  crest  of  some  huge  wave. 
Wonderfully  well  managed  were  these  little  boats  by  some  of 
the  gallant,  stout-hearted  sailors  of  the  Rigel.  No  thought 
of  the  prize  now  slipping  away  from  their  grasp  appeared 
to  influence  them,  but  with  hearty  good-will  they  bent 
to  the  oars,  and  carried  their  burdens  of  human  freight, 
while  all  unnecessary  baggage  they  cast  into  the  sea.  For 
space  was  very  valuable  \\\)o\\  the  little  schooner  Rigel. 
Shortly  after  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  last  boat-load, 
carrying  Captain  Farrell  among  others,  arrived  safely  on 
board  the  schooner.  The  hawser  had  been  cast  off  from  the 
Miranda,  and  she  was  abandoned  to  her  fate.     Iler  lights 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA.  119 

were  still  burning,  her  rudder  had  been  lashed  to  one  side, 
and  so,  with  steam  on  and  her  propeller  going,  she  slowly 
steamed  away  ;  and  the  fog  fell  around  her  like  a  curtain, 
and  she  was  lost  to  sight  for  ever. 

Slie  might  keep  afloat  for  a  few  hours,  but,  according  to 
the  chief  engineer,  she  was  a  doomed  ship.  Soon  such  tem- 
porary repairs  to  stop  leakage  as  had  been  made  would  give 
way  and  the  waters  would  close  above  her,  and  she  with  her 
precious  freight  would  join  the  mighty  procession  of  wrecks 
far  down  in  the  deep  waters.  The  Miranda  was  abandoned 
in  latitude  61°  15',  longitude  58°  40',  296  miles  from  Sukker- 
toppen. 

With  the  ship  the  members  of  the  expedition  lost  all  their 
belongings  except  the  few  necessaries  they  had  brought  with 
them  on  the  schooner.  Valuable  ethnological  and  botanical 
collections  (over  five  thousand  Arctic  plants  had  been  gath- 
ered), a  great  number  of  guns  and  scientific  instruments,  the 
largest  collection  ever  made  of  photographs  of  Arctic  scenes 
and  people,  and  quantities  of  stuffed  birds,  seals,  skins,  etc.,  all 
went  down  with  the  ill-fated  ship.  However,  the  saving  of 
our  own  skins  was  matter  for  rejoicing,  and  the  losses  were 
cheerfully  accepted  by  all  hands.  If  the  Lord  loves  a  cheer- 
ful giver,  I  hope  a  cheerful  loser  may  also  find  favor.  There 
arose  none  of  those  bemoanings  over  spilled  milk  that  are 
often  harder  to  put  up  with  than  the  losses  themselves. 

There  were  now  ninety-three  souls  on  board  our  little 
schooner.  No  time  could  be  lost,  and  soon  Captain  Dixon 
was  sailing  with  all  possible  speed  for  Hamilton  Inlet,  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  about  380  miles  away.  But  fogs, 
head-winds,  high  seas,  and  icebergs  combined  to  render  the 
journey  dangerous  and  slow  as  well  as  uncertain.  It  was 
decided  to  put  in  at  the  first  feasible  point  on  the  Labrador 
coast,  then  pass  through  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle,  and 
finally  to  land  at  Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


120  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

Provisions  were  getting  very  low,  and  it  was  discovered 
that  a  portion  of  the  crew  of  the  Miranda  who  had  been 
lodged  in  the  provision-hold  had  been  systematically  stealing 
everything  edible  that  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon,  and  as 
a  consequence  the  larder  stood  in  sad  need  of  replenishment. 

On  August  25  the  sun  broke  from  the  heavy  clouds ; 
we  bathed  in  the  sunshine  for  the  first  time  since  our  start, 
and  the  spirits  of  all  rose  accordingly.  For  two  evenings 
we  had  magnificent  exhibitions  of  northern  lights,  and  as  the 
clearer  atmosphere  revealed  to  us  numbers  of  white  gleam- 
ing icebergs,  we  realized  the  dangers  we  had  been  passing 
through.  On  the  morning  of  the  28tli  we  sighted  tbe  coast 
of  Labrador,  and  as  tbe  weather  was  threatening  it  was 
decided  to  make  a  harbor  for  the  night.  In  the  evening  we 
entered  Punch  Bowl  harbor,  about  sixty  miles  south  of 
Kigolette.  Punch  Bowl  is  a  little  fishing  settlement  much 
resembling  Cape  Charles.  Two  fishing  schooners  were  lying 
at  anchor  in  this  harbor  :  their  occupants,  as  well  as  the 
natives  of  the  place,  gazed  with  wonder  at  the  swarms  of 
men  crowding  the  decks  of  our  little  vessel ;  and  the 
banners  of  the  Cleveland  Yacht  Club  and  of  Harvard  and 
Yale,  which  we  were  flying,  seemed  also  to  puzzle  them  not  a 
little.  When,  however,  they  learned  that  we  were  a  ship- 
wrecked party,  they  did  not  seem  to  evince  much  wonder  or 
curiosity.  Shipwrecks  are  a  matter  of  such  common  occur- 
rence in  these  regions.  The  most  important  character  at 
Puiicli  Bowl  was  a  certain  hard-featured  old  man,  who  was 
called  King  Bryan.  He  controlled  the  fisheries  and  owned 
the  only  store,  so  that  he  was  monarch  indeed  of  ail  he 
surveyed,  and  ruled  the  place — so  we  were  given  to  under- 
stand— with  a  rod  of  iron.  We  laid  in  a  supply  of  fresh 
codfish  here,  and  left  behind  us  five  of  the  Miranda's 
crew,  who  were  to  wait  for  a  mail  steamer  to  take  them 
to  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.     They  were  our  chief  officer. 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


121 


Mr.  Manuel ;   ice-pilot  Dumphy,  steward    Farrell,  and   two 
firemen. 

In  the  morning,  as  there  was  no  breeze,    three   of   the 
dories,   manned   by  members  of  the 
Rigel  crew,  were  sent  ahead,  and  towed 
us  out  from  the  sheltering  harbor  un- 
til we  caught  a  breeze  from  the  open 
sea.     Again  the  dense  fog  fell  about 
us,    through   which,    every   now   and 
then,  tlie  huge  dim  forms  of  icebergs 
could  be   discerned.     That  night  of 
August  30  was  an  anxious  one  for  all, 
but  especial- 
ly so  for  Cap- 
tain Dixon. 
In  the  heavy 
fog  we  some 
times   passed 
so   close  to 
icebergs  that 
we    almost 
grazed  them, 
and  occasion 
ally  we  could 
hear   sounds 
like   a    can- 
nonade   as 
great  pieces 
of  ice   broke 
from   the 
bergs    and 

TOWING  THE   RIGEU.  -   „      •     x        xi 

fell  mto  the 
water.  The  next  morning  the  fog  scaled,  and  by  noon  we 
had  put  into  Henley  harbor,  within  the  straits  of  Belle  Isle, 


123  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIEANDA. 

to  wait  for  clearer  skies  and  a  more  favorable  wind  ;  also 
to  procure  a  further  supply  of  provisions.  In  appearance, 
Henley  harbor  was  much  like  the  other  Labrador  settlements 
at  which  we  had  stopped,  save  for  an  enormous  rock  which 


DEVIL'S  DINING   TABLE. 

rose  up  from  the  vicinity  of  the  village,  and  which  looked 
like  a  huge  fort.  It  was  flat  at  the  top,  and  commanded 
a  fine  view  of  the  harbor  and  of  the  surrounding  country ; 
the  rock  is  called  the  Devil's  Dining  Table,  though  where  it 
got  this  curious  name  I  was  unable  to  ascertain. 

We  remained  at  Henley  harbor  for  two  days ;  it  rained 
most  of  the  time,  and  the  fog  was  continual.  On  our  second 
and  last  evening  I  learned  that  a  dance  was  in  progress  on 
shore  ;  and  so,  with  two  or  three  companions,  I  rowed  over  to 
attend  it,  having  been  instructed  as  to  the  whereabouts  of 
the  house  of  entertainment  by  one  of  the  sailors.  It  was  a 
dark,  foggy  night,  and  a  fine,  misty  rain  was  falling.  We 
clambered  up  one  of  the  little  wharves,  slippery  and  slimy 
with  fish,  and  then  through  a  storehouse  out  into  the  open.  It 
is  no  easy  matter  to  maintain  one's  footing  in  going  over  these 


THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF  THE    MIRANDA.  123 

slippery  wharves,  and  over  the  still  more  slippery  floor  of  the 
storehouses ;  even  the  rocks  about  are  slimy  with  fish-oil. 
"  O'er  crag  and  fen  "  we  went  without  so  much  as  a  kindly 
light  to  guide  us  ;  at  length,  after  scrambling  over  numerous 
large  rocks,  and  picking  our  way  as  best  we  might  over  a  bog, 
we  ascended  a  steep  side-hill  and  looked  about.  It  is  difficult 
to  follow  any  given  direction  on  a  foggy  night  in  Labrador, 
and  as  we  peered  about  us  we  could  discern  tlie  lights  of  two 
or  three  houses  or  huts  gleaming  out  in  the  fog  and  darkness  f 
but  as  the  few  houses  of  the  settlement  were  scattered  over  a 
large  area,  we  paused,  not  knowing  which  light  to  follow. 
Suddenly  a  moving  light  gleamed  below  us  ;  it  was  a  fisher- 
lass  with  a  lantern,  and  I  hailed  her,  but  she  would  not  an- 
swer, being  evidently  frightened  ;  for  she  quickened  her  pace, 
and  was  soon  enveloped  in  the  fog.     Then  a  dog — evidently 


HENLEY    HARBOR. 


a  large  one,  from  his  growls— made  advances,  and  I  picked  up 
a  large  stone,  and  held  a  bit  of  hard-tack  in  my  other  hand, 
ready  to  make  friend  or  foe,  as  the  case  might  be  :  but  after 
considerable  snarling  the  dog  seemed  to  think  better  of  us. 


124  THE    LAST    CKUISE    OF   THE   MIKANDA. 

and  retired.  All  of  a  sudden  there  arose  a  sound  like  the 
stampede  of  a  herd  of  frightened  cattle,  and  as  it  proceeded 
from  a  house  in  the  dim  distance,  we  knew  that  here  must  be 
the  dance,  and  so  made  for  it.  After  scaling  rocks  and  crawling 
up  and  down  wet  and  mossy  side-hills,  we  at  length  found 
ourselves  directly  under  the  house,  which  was  built  on  piles, 
and  by  crawling  through  a  hole  in  the  floor  we  made  our  en- 
trance into  one  corner  of  the  ball-room.  This  novel  mode 
of  entering  did  not  appear  to  occasion  any  surprise,  and 
indeed  we  were  lucky  to  enter  thus  unharmed  among  the 
agile  and  vigorous  dancers;  for  the  floor  creaked  and  groaned, 
and  the  entire  house  appeared  to  rock  and  sway,  with  the  sur- 
prising vigor  of  the  dance.  The  men .  wore  heavy-soled 
boots,  and  every  now  and  then  as  they  jigged  about  they 
would  whirl  their  fair  partners  fairly  off  their  feet.  It  was  a 
native  Labrador  dance — a  combination  of  a  round  and  square 
dance — and  the  most  uproarious  and  deafening,  in  its  effects 
upon  the  hearing,  of  any  that  I  have  ever  attended,  though 
we  had  some  lively  dances  among  the  Eskimos.  The  orchestra 
was  composed  of  a  fiddler  and  a  performer  on  a  mouth-organ 
who  blew  loudly,  fiercely,  and  somewhat  independently  of 
his  coadjutor.  The  room  was  bare  of  any  furniture,  and  a 
few  lanterns  hung  from  the  ceiling  ;  there  were  only  three  or 
four  of  the  fair  sex  present,  and  these,  of  course,  were  in  great 
demand.  The  room  was  mainly  filled  with  sailors,  fisher- 
men, and  tobacco  smoke — a  very  motley  group  indeed  ;  but 
as  neither  dance  nor  music  varied  much,  we  soon  grew  tired 
and  made  our  way  back  to  the  schooner. 

Next  morning,  September  2,  the  breeze  was  fair — at  last — 
and  we  got  off  at  about  six  o'clock.  Shortly  after  our  start 
we  counted  about  twenty  icebergs  within  sight.  All  day  long 
the  breeze  freshened,  until  by  night  we  had  a  regular  gale,  and 
for  several  hours  we  were  obliged  to  lay  to  under  a  triple- 
reefed  forsesail  and  forestay  sail.     The  hatchways  had  to  be 


THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRAIfDA/  125 

closed  ;  and,  to  add  to  our  discomfortj  the  stove  in  the  little 
cabin  just  in  front  of  our  sleeping-apartment  in  the  salt  store- 
room began  to  pour  out  volumes  of  smoke  that  almost  choked 
us.  One  wise  individual  suggested  that  salt  be  thrown  on 
the  fire  to  put  it  out  ;  the  suggestion  was  acted  upon,  and 
immediately  several  shovelfuls  of  salt  were  thrust  into  the 
stove;  then  there  issued  forth  clouds  of  smoke  ten  times  more 


HOMEWARD    BOUND. 


deadly  and  terrible  than  before,  and  as  every  one  gasped  for 
breath  many- were  the  invectives  hurled  at  the  head  of  the  un- 
fortunate man  who  had  suggested  this  method  of  putting  out 
a  fire.  Had  he  been  turned,  like  Lot's  wife,  into  a  pillar  of  salt, 
I  think  we  should  have  all  rejoiced.  However,  gradually 
the  nuisance  abated,  and  although  the  odor  abided  with 
us  all  night  and  fought  with  the  fish  and  bilge-water  for 


1^6  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRA]\"DA. 

supremacy,  yet,  being  hardened  sinners,  we  were  enabled  to 
snatch  some  sleep  despite  the  gale  and  the  closeness  of  our 
quarters.  A  small  party  near  me,  huddled  together  in  sitting 
postures,  kept  me  awake  for  a  while  by  an  earnest  discussion 
of  the  effect  of  salt  upon  fire,  as  if  it  had  not  been  sufficiently 
demonstrated.  One  man  in  particular  advanced  his  argu- 
ments in  an  almost  continuous  stream.  His  extraordinary 
volubility  had  a  certain  fascination  about  it,  and  I  could  not 
choose  but  hear.  At  length,  in  a  dreamy  state,  I  gave  myself 
up  to  the  purely  sensuous  enjoyment  of  watching  his  jaws 
wag,  and  so  fell  asleep. 

The  next  day  the  storm  abated,  and  on  this  day  and  the 
next  we  passed  a  number  of  small  fishing  schooners,  many  of 
them  within  hailing  distance.  The  first  question  invariably 
was:  "Who  have  you  got  aboard  ?^' and  the  next,  "How 
many  fish  have  you  ? "  We  were  nearing  Sydney,  and  the 
news  of  the  wreck  of  the  Miranda  had  evidently  reached 
there.  We  were  cheered  here  and  there  by  a  passing  schooner 
on  our  identity  becoming  known,  and  on  the  morning  of 
September  5  we  entered,  at  last,  with  all  our  colors  flying,  the 
harbor  of  Sydney,  after  a  remarkable  voyage  of  fifteen  days. 

The  story  of  our  journey  from  Sukkertoppen  to  Sydney  is 
so  well  told  in  Captain  Dixon's  log,  which  immediately  follows 
this  narrative,  that  I  have  purposely  left  out  many  particulars, 
in  order  to  avoid  vain  repetitions.  The  familiar  fog  was  still 
with  us  when  we  again  dropped  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Syd- 
ney, and  a  drizzling  rain  was  falling ;  but  this  could  not  dampen 
our  enthusiasm.  It  was  a  wild-looking  party  that  rushed  on 
North  Sydney's  shore  that  day,  yet  a  most  hilarious  and  joy- 
ous one.  A  bee-line  was  made  for  the  post-office  and  cable 
station,  and  many  were  the  messages  sent  to  anxious  ones  at 
home  telling  of  our  safe  arrival.  A  dinner  for  all  hands  had 
been  arranged  for  at  the  Sydney  Hotel,  in  Sydney  pi'oper,  in 
the  evening,  and  a  committee  was  despatched  to  confer  with 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


127 


Colonel  Granger  and  have  everything  in  readiness.  A  mot- 
ley crowd  we  were  as  we  started  for  Sydney  in  two  small 
steamers.  The  rain  was  falling  heavily  by  this  time,  and 
many  of  the  party  were  decked  out  in  yellow  oilskins  which 
had  seen  much  service,  so  that  from 
a  distance  they  looked  not  unlike  a 
flock  of  dirty  canary-birds.  Then  there 
were  others  arrayed  in  a  variety  of 
weather-beaten  garments  that  had  not 
been  changed  or  taken  off  since  the 
Miranda  had  faded  *" 
into  the  mist.  Many 
of  the  party  carried 


SYDNEY    POST-OFFICE. 


all  their  worldly  possessions  done  up  in  gunny  sacks.  The 
parade  along  the  streets  of  Sydney  up  to  the  hotel,  about 
four  blocks  from  the  wharf,  was  a  joyous  and  picturesque 
one.  No  tougiier-looking  gang  of  men  ever  marched  over  that 
quiet  thoroughfare.  One  party  of  college  students  marched 
in  a  solid  phalanx,  chanting  an  original  adaptation  of  the 
familiar  "Hark,  hark,  the  dogs  do  bark,"  etc.,  in  this  wise: 


128 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIEANDA. 


"  Hark,  hark  I  the  dogs  do  bark, 
The  wild  men  are  coining  to  town — 
Some  in  rags,  and  some  with  jags. 
And  some  with  eider-down." 

For  a  few  eider-down  quilts  had  been  saved  from  the  spoils. 

The  dinner  at  the  Sydney  Hotel  was  indeed  "  a  happy 
time/'  as  Captain  Dixon  remarks  in  his  log.  The  two  cap- 
tains, Dixon  and  Farrell,  were  the  heroes  of  the  occasion  ; 
and  the  excellent  repast,  gotten  up  under  the  special  super- 
vision of  the  genial  presiding  genius  of  the  hotel,  Colonel 


SYDNEY    HOTEL-MORNING    AFTER   THE    DINNER. 

Granger,  was  to  us,  after  our  limited  meals  on  the  schooner, 
a  veritable  feast  of  the  gods.  The  dining-hall  was  draped 
with  American  and  English  flags,  and  with  the  flags  of  the 
Cleveland  Yacht  Club  and  of  Harvard  and  Yale — the  ban- 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA.  129 

ners  that  we  had  borne  through  mist  and  snow  and  ice. 
It  was  a  gala  night,  and  many  were  the  speeches,  songs,  and 
toasts  that  were  called  out  by  the  toast-master,  Mr.  James  D. 
Dewell,  of  New  Haven,  who  presided  in  a  most  happy  man- 
ner. The  banquet  broke  up  at  about  midnight,  and  then 
farewells  began  to  be  said,  for  many  of  the  party  took  early 
trains  and  scattered  in  various  directions. 

A  large  remnant  of  the  party,  however,  waited  to  take  the 
little  steamer  St.  Pierre,  which,  through  the  courtesy  of  Bow- 
ring  &  Archibald,  owners  of  the  late  Miranda,  was  sent  to 
Sydney  to  take  the  party  to  Halifax,  there  to  meet  the  steamer 
Portia,  a  sister  ship  of  the  Miranda,  and  thence  to  go  on  to 
New  York. 

With  three  cheers  for  our  host.  Colonel  Granger,  we  left 
the  comfortable  Sydney  Hotel  and  boarded  the  St.  Pierre, 
the  following  morning.  A  snug,  nice  little  ship  she  was,  and 
we  enjoyed  immensely  the  trip  to  Halifax.  We  landed  at 
this  city  on  the  afternoon  of  September  7,  and  found  the  Por- 
tia waiting  for  us,  and  immediately  boarded  her  and  were 
assigned  staterooms.  The  Portia,  however,  was  not  to  start 
for  New  York  until  ten  o'clock  the  following  morning,  so 
we  put  in  the  time  very  agreeably  in  seeing  the  sights  and 
surroundings  of  the  beautiful  city  of  Halifax.  Here  we  pro- 
cured New  York  and  Boston  papers  several  days  old,  which 
stated  that  the  Miranda  and  its  passengers  and  crew  were 
probably  lost ;  but  we  knew  that  by  this  time  our  despatches 
from  Sydney  must  have  been  published,  and  that  our  relatives 
and  friends  were  assured  of  our  safety.  It  was  like  reading 
one's  own  obituary  notice  to  glance  over  the  sensational 
prognostications  of  our  probable  doom. 

Promptly  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  September  8 
we  started  for  New  York,  feeling  that  our  adventures  and 
dangers  were  a  thing  of  the  past ;  and  yet  on  this  short  and 
generally  uneventful  trip  occurred  the  real  tragedy  of  our 


130  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXDA. 

remarkable  summer's  outing.  We  started  with  bright  and 
clear  skies  overhead  ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  long- 
familiar  fog  that  had  dogged  ns  everywhere  overtook  ns 
here.  On  the  evening  of  the  9th  a  heavy  fog  descended 
and  hung  about  us,  now  scaling,  now  falling  again,  and 
continued  on  the  following  day.  We  were  in  familiar  waters 
off  Cuttyhunk  Light,  and  were  assembled  at  the  lunch-table 
at  about  one  o'clock  on  the  10th.  The  curtain  of  fog  had 
descended  again;  suddenly  we  heard  the  signal  for  reversing 
the  engine,  and  the  next  moment  we  crashed  into  some 
heavy  object,  followed  immediately  by  a  noise  as  if  the  ship 
were  crunching  and  tearing  its  way  through  some  obstruction; 
then  the  Portia  stood  still  and  trembled.  It  was  not  such 
a  crash  as  when  we  struck  the  iceberg;  nor,  again,  such  a 
one  as  we  had  experienced  when  upon  the  rocks  off  Sukker- 
toppen,  but  it  was  ominous  enough  to  presage  danger. 

The  lunch-table  was  quickly  deserted,  and  on  deck  a  scene 
of  pitiful  disaster  revealed  itself.  We  had  run  into  a  schooner 
and  literally  cut  her  in  two,  and  a  portion  of  her  bow,  with 
foremast  and  rigging,  was  lying  across  our  deck.  The  fog 
had  lifted  as  if  by  magic  ;  for  a  moment  we  could  see  the 
stern  of  the  schooner  lifted  high  in  air,  and  upon  its  taffrail 
Avere  two  men  cutting  away  at  the  yawl ;  then  the  remnant  of 
the  schooner  plunged  into  the  sea  and  sank  instantly.  No 
other  men  were  seen,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  must  have  been 
knocked  overboard  or  sunk  with  the  bow.  As  the  vessel 
sank  but  one  man  came  to  the  surface,  afterward  found  to  be 
the  mate.  He  swam  among  the  debris,  and,  finally  reaching 
a  spar,  managed  to  keep  afloat  until  rescued  by  a  boat  from 
the  Portia.  The  other  man  whom  we  saw  seemed  unable  to 
keep  his  head  above  water,  but  we  could  see  him  striking  out 
under  water,  as  if  endeavoring  to  reach  the  surface  ;  the  suc- 
tion was  evidently  too  strong  for  him,  and  before  our  eyes  he 
was  dragged  down  into  the  sea  and  lost  to  sight.     The  mate. 


133  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

when  brought  aboard,  was  almost  exhausted  with  his  efforts, 
and  was  badly  bruised.  From  him  we  learned  that  the 
schooner  was  called  the  Dora  M.  French,  and  that  she  hailed 
from  Bangor,  Me.  The  captain,  the  steward,  and  two  sailors 
had  gone  down  with  the  ship. 

The  Portia  had  also  suffered  considerable  damage.  Her 
f oretopmast  was  dislodged  and  forty  feet  of  rail  lost.  A  hole  was 
stove  in  the  starboard  bow  just  below  the  water-line,  and  the 
forward  compartment  filled  with  water.  However,  the  damage 
was  not  serious  enough  to  endanger  her  in  any  way.  For  an 
hour  or  so  she  lay  to,  and  then  slowly  steamed  onward  on  her 
way.  Meantime  her  boats  had  been  busy  among  the  debris 
of  the  schooner,  but  not  a  vestige  of  the  crew  could  be 
found. 

At  last,  early  on  the  following  morning  of  September  11, 
we  reached  New  York,  and  our  remarkable  trip  was  over. 
Within  the  short  space  of  barely  two  months  we  certainly  had 
experienced  an  extraordinary  series  of  adventures.  "  Sweet 
is  the  pleasure  after  pain,"  and  it  is  pleasant  now  to  look  back 
over  the  hardships  and  varied  experiences  that  we  encoun- 
tered. Indeed,  to  have  stood  even  at  the  outposts  of  the 
great  and  wonderful  Arctic  regions  is  ample  compensation  for 
the  dangers  and  hardships  that  had  been  experienced.  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  the  beauties  and  revelations  of  these 
little-known  regions — so  different  from  the  beaten  paths  of 
the  ordinary  traveller,  or  from  any  common  experiences — that 
words  are  lacking  in  our  vocabulary  for  any  adequate  descrip- 
tion. Even  the  camera  can  do  but  scant  justice  ;  true,  in  a 
certain  sense,  but  reducing  vast  expanses  and  towering  ice- 
bergs and  glaciers  and  snow-capped  mountains  to  such  micro- 
scopic proportions  as  to  give  but  faint  ideas  of  the  real 
grandeur  and  impressiveness  of  Arctic  scenery.  Longfellow, 
in  one  of  his  finest  ballads,  tells  how  the  noble  Count  Ar- 
noldos,  standing  on  the  shore,  beholds  a  stately  galley  steer- 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF    THE    MIRAN^DA.  133 

ing  toward  the  land,  and  hears  the  helmsman  chant  a  song  of 
the  sea,  wild  and  clear  and  wonderful  : 

Till  his  soul  was  full  of  longing, 
And  he  cried  with  impulse  strong, — 

"  Helmsman  !  for  the  love  of  heaven. 
Teach  me,  too,  that  wondrous  song  ! " 

"  Wouldst  thou," — so  the  helmsman  answered, — 

"  Learn  the  secret  of  the  sea  ? 
Only  those  who  brave  its  dangers 

Comprehend  its  mystery ! " 

And  only  by  braving  the  dangers  of  the  Arctic  regions  can 
one  comprehend  their  mysteries. 

The  season  of  1894  was  a  particularly  disastrous  one  for 
Arctic  expeditions  of  any  kind.  Peary  and  Wellman  and 
Jackson  were  all  baffled  by  it ;  so  little  wonder  if  we  did  not 
attain,  except  partially,  the  objects  of  our  much  less.ambitious 
enterprise.  Since  this  disastrous  season  there  has  been  a  wide- 
spread cry  of  Cui  bono  ?  as  regards  Arctic  expeditions  in  gen- 
eral. A  senseless  cry  it  is,  coming  from  those  who  have  given 
the  subject  no  adequate  consideration.  There  is  scarcely  a 
department  of  human  knowledge  that  does  not  owe  a  deep 
debt  to  the  baffled  heroic  men  who  have  struggled  to  reach 
the  Pole.  They  have  given  lessons  to  the  world  in  patience, 
self-sacrifice,  and  heroic  endurance.  If  as  yet  they  have  not 
attained  their  ultimate  object,  they  have  attained  still  larger 
results  in  extending  the  domains  of  science,  of  geographical 
knowledge,  of  civilization  and  commerce.  If  we  justly  honor 
our  great  historians,  shall  we  not  honor  these  men  who  have 
given  us  new  chapters  in  a  greater,  larger  history  than  that  of 
man — the  history  of  the  world,  the  history  of  the  universe  ? 
This  material  age  should  at  least  recognize  the  material 
benefits  that  have  followed  in  the  wake  of  Arctic  explorations. 
The  cod  fisheries  of  Newfoundland,  the  whale  fisheries  of  the 
Northern  Hemisphere,  the  great  fur  iudastries,  which  have 


134  THE    LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

added  millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  every  year  to  the  wealth 
of  the  world — all  these  have  been  opened  up  by  hardy  Arctic 
explorers.  But  not  yet  has  the  world  learned  to  appreciate 
the  great  work  that  has  been  done  by  the  soldiers  of  science, 
or  their  bloodless  victories,  of  vaster  importance  to  the  race 
than  a  Waterloo  or  a  Sedan.  The  records  of  their  victories  are 
known  only  to  the  few,  are  unheeded  by  the  many.  The  man 
of  blood  is  still  the  world's  hero.  In  England  to-day  the  sol- 
dier who  has  won  the  greatest  honors,  and  applause,  and  great 
wealth,  has  done  little  else  than  to  slaughter  some  savage  men 
and  make  them  bow  to  a  foreign  yoke  ;  but  he  has  spilled 
human  blood,  and  so  his  name  has  resounded  from  shore  to 
shore.  For,  as  in  the  old  gladiatorial  days,  the  thumbs  of  the 
cruel  populace  are  still  reversed,  and  the  sacrifice  of  human 
blood  is  demanded  as  the  price  of  its  applause.  Xot  yet  have 
the  great  soldiers  of  science  received  their  meed  of  apprecia- 
tion; but  when  "the  war-drum  throbs  no  longer,  and  the 
battle-flags  are  furled,''  then  will  the  world  more  fully  under- 
stand the  debt  it  owes  to  such  men. 

It  is  no  vain  ambition  that  leads  the  explorer  into  far  north- 
ern latitudes,  but  a  higher  motive — a  desire  to  comprehend 
the  vast  economy  of  this  planet,  to  read  its  geological  history, 
and  to  give  the  results  of  his  labors  to  his  fellow-men.  Until 
the  thirst  for  knowledge  and  the  love  of  adventure  is  dead  in 
the  human  heart,  the  Arctic  regions  will  still  attract  explorers 
to  its  vast  silences. 


CAPTAIN    DIXON'S    LOG. 


From  August  16  to  Sejttember  5,  1894. 


Nepisat,  August  16,  189Jf. — About  4  p.  m.  came  in 
to  get  a  dory  that  we  liad  landed  here,  intending  to  go  to 
Cape  Amelia.  A  native  Eskimo  came  alongside,  and  by  signs 
and  broken  English  made  us  understand  that  we  should 
go  to  Ilolsteinborg,  that  an  American  vessel  had  struck  a 
rock  and  stove  a  hole  in  her  bottom.  After  many  questions 
he  said  it  was  an  American  man-o'-war.  We  took  the  kayak 
on  board,  and  he  showed  us  three  letters.  One  was  addressed 
to  Captain  Lawson,  of  schooner  Carrie  W.  Bahson,  and  the 
other  two  were  addressed  to  captains  of  American  fishing  ves- 
sels. I  opened  one  of  tliese,  and  read  the  following  letter 
from  Dr.  Frederick  A.  Cook  : 

"HoLSTEiNBOEO,  Greenland,  August  16,  1894. 
"  To  Captains  of  American  Fishing  Schooners. 

"Gentlemen  : — TheS.S.  Miranda,  carrying  my  expedition,  with 
seventy  persons  on  board,  has  struck  a  sunken  rock  coining  out  of 
Sukkertoppen  ;  she  is  now  lying  at  that  liarbor  disabled  and  in  distress 
Will  you  kindly  come  to  our  rescue?  I  am  at  Holsteinborg  with 
five  of  the  members  of  my  party.  Shall  remain  there  until  onet  week 
from  date  ;  then  return  to  Sukkertoppen.  If  this  note  reaches  you 
in  time  to  meet  me  at  Holsteinborg  kindly  do  so ;  if  not,  come 
direct  to  Sukkertoppen,  and  send  a  note  by  kayak  at  once  to  Hol- 
steinborg. 

"  Frederk'K  a.  Cook, 

"Commanding." 

I  immediately  nuide  sail  and  started  for  Holsteinborg, 
but  the  wind  fell  off  before  we  could  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
fiord.     Seeing  that  we  could  do  nothing  with  the  vessel,  with 


136  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

a  calm  and  fog  setting  in,  I  left  the  schooner  in  charge  of  my 
brother  Will,  to  take  her  back  to  Nepisat,  while  I  took  a 
dory  and  four  men  to  row  to  Holsteinborg,  a  distance  of  about 
eleven  miles.  We  arrived  there  about  ten  o'clock  at  night. 
On  entering  the  harbor  we  were  greeted  by  the  Eskimos,  who 
informed  us  that  Dr.  Cook  was  at  the  governor's  house,  and 
we  were  escorted  there  by  the  entire  settlement  of  Eskimos. 
I  found  Dr.  Cook  and  his  party,  and  he  informed  me  that 
together  with  five  Eskimos  they  had  made  the  passage  in  an 
open  boat  from  Sukkertoppen  to  Holsteinborg,  a  distance  of 
ninety-five  miles,  or  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  as  they 
had  to  row  it  along  the  coast.  They  had  arrived  at  Holstein- 
borg the  day  before,  after  a  stormy  passage  of  five  days.  Dr. 
Cook  said  that  their  steamship,  the  Miranda,  of  Liverpool, 
England,  had  struck  a  rock  while  going  out  of  Sukkertoppen, 
and  that  there  was  a  leak  in  her  bottom  that  let  the  water 
into  the  tank  for  water-ballast ;  the  tank  had  quickly  filled 
with  water,  and  the  pumps  could  not  reduce  it.  The  ship 
would  float  as  long  as  the  tank  could  bear  the  strain  of  the 
pressure  thus  brought  to  bear  upon  it,  but  if  the  tank  should 
burst  the  ship  would  sink  immediately.  Dr.  Cook  wanted  a 
vessel  to  convey  the  passengers  to  some  place  of  communic  a- 
tion  with  their  homes,  and  some  one  to  accompany  the  ship 
to  some  place  where  she  could  be  repaired.  He  had  a  letter 
from  Captain  W.  J.  Farrell,  of  the  S.S.  Miranda,  which  ran  as 

follows : 

"  Sukkertoppen.  South  Greenland,  August  10, 1894. 
"  To  Whom  it  May  Concern. 

Dkar  Sir  : — The  steamer  Miranda,  of  Liverpool,  England,  from 
New  York,  with  Dr.  Frederick  A.  Cook's  Arctic  expedition,  struck 
a  sunken  rock  seven  miles  southwest  of  this  harbor.  The  ship  is 
making  water.  Dr.  Cook  is  going  to  you  for  immediate  assistance, 
which  please  send,  as  we  are  in  distress. 
"  Yours  truly, 

"  Captain  W.  J.  Farrell, 

"  Master  of  S.S.  Miranda.'* 


CAPTAIN-   DIXOX^S   LOG.  137 

As  Dr.  Cook  had  no  authority  to  make  a  bargain  that 
would  recompense  us  for  our  loss  sustained  by  leaving  the 
fishing-grounds,  or  the  risk  that  would  be  incurred  by  us  in 
making  a  departure  from  our  regular  fishing  voyage,  I  hardly 
knew  what  to  do.  Common  humanity  required  that  we 
should  go  to  the  relief  of  our  fellows  in  distress,  while  on 
the  other  hand  our  voyage  was  likely  to  be  a  prosperous 
one  if  we  stuck  to  our  fishing.  We  had  a  crew  of  eighteen 
men,  all  on  shares,  and  I  felt  as  though  they  should  have 
a  voice  in  the  matter  before  I  would  make  any  departure 
from  our  voyage.  Sukkertoppen  was  ninety-five  miles  from 
Holsteinborg.  The  harbor  was  small,  and  the  approach  to 
it  was  encompassed  by  rocks.  Our  charts  were  little  better 
than  none.  There  were  numerous  icebergs  all  along  the 
route,  and  a  dense  fog  prevailed  most  of  the  time,  with  a 
very  strong,  irregular  current  setting  along  the  coast,  and  in 
and  out  of  the  fiords.  The  land  was  strange  to  us  (none  of 
us  having  seen  that  part  of  the  coast  before*),  and  if  anything 
should  happen  to  our  vessel  we  should  have  to  forfeit  all 
right  to  our  insurance  on  the  vessel  and  the  fish  we  had 
caught.  I  told  Dr.  Cook  that  I  would  go  on  board  and 
consult  with  the  crew,  and  if  I  decided  to  go  to  Sukker- 
toppen I  would  run  up  off  Holsteinborg  and  set  the  flag  for 
him  to  come  off  in  his  boat.  We  left  Holsteinborg  about 
2  A.  M.,  August  17,  and  arrived  at  Xepisat  at  5  A.  m.  I 
called  the  crew  into  the  cabin  and  explained  the  case  to 
them,  and  asked  them  if  we  should  go  to  Sukkertoppen. 
One  of  the  crew  asked  me  if  I  was  willing  to  go,  and  I  said  I 
was.  He  said  then,  "I  am  willing  to  go,  for  you  have  more 
at  stake  than  we  have."  That  seemed  to  be  the  opinion  of 
all  the  crew,  and  we  got  under  way  and  started  for  Hol- 
steinborg with  a  light  air  from  the  eastward.  At  9  a.  m.  we 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  fiord,  and  set  our  flag  (being  then 
about  eight  miles  from  Holsteinborg).     Soon  after  leaving 


138  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

the  fiord,  and  about  two  miles  off  of  the  land,  we  strucK 
a  sunken  rock,  and  after  bumping  several  times  she  came  off, 
and  we  beat  up  off  Holsteinborg,  At  4  p.  3i.  the  boat  came 
off,  and  we  kept  off  with  a  good  northeast  breeze.  At  8  p.  m. 
the  wind  hauled  to  the  westward  with  a  strong  breeze  and 
a  thick  fog. 

August  18. — Strong  breeze,  Avesterly.  At  11  a.  m.  it  cleared 
a  little  and  we  saw  the  coast.  By  3  p.  m.  we  had  worked  as 
far  as  Old  Sukkertoppen.  At  4  p.  m.  took  in  our  mainsail 
and  jib  and  set  the  storm  trysail.  At  8  p.  m.  took  in  trysail 
and  put  single  reef  in  foresail.  Had  it  rather  rough  for  com- 
fort during  the  night. 

August  19. — At  8  a.  m.  the  fog  cleared  a  little  and  we 
saw  land.  Set  the  trysail  and  began  to  work  down  shore. 
In  the  afternoon  it  began  to  moderate,  and  we  set  the  jib  and 
single  reef  mainsail.  At  5  p.  m.  set  the  staysail  and  flying 
jib.  At  9  P.  M.  we  were  off  Sukkertoppen,  and  we  jogged 
off  and  on  until  daylight. 

August  20. — As  soon  as  it  began  to  get  light  we  tacked 
and  made  for  the  harbor.  At  8  A.  m.  an  Eskimo  pilot  came 
on  board  and  informed  me  that  I  was  inside  of  the  sunken 
rocks  and  in  a  fair  way  for  the  harbor.  Shortly  after  that  we 
were  met  by  a  lot  of  native  kayakers.  There  also  came  two  boats 
belonging  to  the  Miranda,  in  one  of  which  was  the  master.  Cap- 
tain W.  J.  Farrell.  I  told  Captain  Farrell  that  I  would  for  the 
sum  of  four  thousand  dollars  take  the  passengers  and  carry 
them  to  Gloucester,  or  some  place  where  they  could  get  trans- 
portation home,  providing  they  would  furnish  provisions.  Cap- 
tain Farrell  and  Dr.  Cook  informed  me  that  they  would  furnish 
plenty  of  provisions,  and  that  they  considered  the  terms  mod- 
erate and  reasonable.  So  the  bargain  was  accepted  by  Cap- 
tain W.  J.  Farrell.  Captain  Farrell  then  asked  me  if  I  would 
accompany  the  ship  to  some  port  where  she  could  be  repaired. 
The  object  of  this  was  to  be  ready  to  rescue  the  crew  in  case 


CAPTAIN"   DIXON's   LOG.  139 

the  ship  should  have  to  be  abandoned.  He  thought  that  I 
could  accompany  the  ship  in  the  interest  of  the  underwriters. 
I  told  him  that  I  would  do  so,  and  we  agreed  to  leave  the 
amount  of  recompense  to  arbitration.  Having  arrived  at  the 
harbor,  we  dropped  our  anchor  and  hauled  alongside  of  the 
Miranda,  and  began  at  once  to  make  what  hasty  preparations 
we  could  to  accommodate  the  passengers.  During  the  after- 
noon I  made  out  the  two  papers  of  agreements,  and  in  the 
evening  we  took  them  to  the  governors'  house,  where  we  signed 
them,  and  they  were  signed,  witnessed,  and  sealed  by  the 
Governor,  and  signed  and  witnessed  by  the  Assistant  Governor 
and  the  chief  mate  of  steamer  Miranda. 

Copy  of  Articles  of  Agreement. — No.  1. 

SUKKERTOPPEN,  GREENLAND,  AugUSt  20,  1894. 

Whereas,  The  steamer  Miranda  being  in  a  disabled  condition,  it 
is  agreed  between  her  master.  Captain  W.  J.  Farrell,  and  Captain 
Geo.  W,  Dixon,  master  of  the  Gloucester  fishing  schooner  Rigel,  that 
the  passengers  of  the  steamer  Miranda  be  transferred  on  board  the 
schooner  Rigel,  and  carried  to  Gloucester,  and  that  the  crew  and 
owners  receive  from  the  owners  and  agents  of  the  steamer  Miranda 
the  sum  of  $4,000  as  recompense  for  breaking  up  the  fishing  expedi- 
tion of  said  sehooner. 

W.  J.  Farrell,  Master  SS.  Miranda. 
Geo.  "W.  Dixon,  Master  Schooner  Rigel. 
Geo.  Manuel,  Chief  Officer  SS.  Miranda. 
Witness  : 

S.  BiSTRUP,  Governor. 

G.  Baumann,  Governor's  Assistant. 


Copy  of  Articles  of  Agreement.— No.  2. 

SUKKERTOPPEN,  GREENLAND,  AugUSt  20,  1894. 

Whereas,  The  steamer  Miranda  being  in  a  disabled  condition,  it 
is  agreed  between  her  master.  Captain  \V.  J.  Farrell,  and  Captain 
Geo.  "W.  Dixon,  master  of  the  Gloucester  fishing  schooner  iJtflrfZ,  that 
the  said  schooner  Rigel  shall  accompany  the  said  steamer  Miranda 
into  some  convenient  port  of  repair.  The  crew  of  said  schooner 
Rigel  will  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  rescue  the  crew  and  the 


140  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

officers  of  steamer  Miranda,  in  case  the  steamer  shall  founder  or 
have  to  be  abandoned ;  and  it  is  agreed  that  the  recompense  for 
such  accompanying  the  steamer  shall  be  settled  by  arbitration,  or  by 
mutual  agreement  between  the  agents  of  schooner  Rigel  and  the 
underwriters  of  said  steamer  Miranda  at  the  port  of  New  York. 
W.  J.  Farrell,  Master  SS.  Miranda. 
Geo.  W.  Dixon,  Master  Schooner  Rigel. 
Geo.  Manuel,  Chief  Officer  SS.  Miranda. 
Witness : 

G.  S,  BiSTRUP,  Governor. 

G.  Baumann,  Governor's  Assistant. 

At  Sukkertoppen  I  found  things  substantially  as  the  letter 
had  stated.  The  steamer  Miranda  was  an  iron  ship  of  be- 
tween eleven  and  twelve  hundred  tons.  She  had  struck  a 
sunken  rock  off  Sukkertoppen,  and  had  evidently  stove  a 
large  hole  in  her  bottom,  in  a  position  where  it  let  the  water 
into  the  tank  that  was  constructed  to  carry  water- ballast,  and 
the  tank  had  almost  immediately  filled  with  water  that  forced 
through  the  hole.  Thus  the  whole  strain  of  the  bearings  of 
the  ship  upon  the  water  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  tank. 
A  survey  had  been  held  and  the  vessel  pronounced  not 
safe  to  carry  the  crew  or  passengers.  There  were  no  means 
to  repair  the  damage  on  the  coast  of  Greenland,  and  the  sur- 
vey had  shown  that  it  was  advisable  that  the  passengers  be 
transferred  to  some  other  vessel,  and  that  some  vessel  should 
be  secured  to  accompany  the  vessel  to  some  port  of  repair,  for 
if  the  tank  should  prove  strong  enough,  the  vessel  would 
probably  go  safe. 

In  order  to  make  room  for  the  passengers,  we  took  out 
about  fifty  hundredweight  of  salt,  which  we  gave  to  the 
Eskimos,  together  with  a  lot  of  lumber  and  miscellaneous 
other  things,  to  the  value  of  about  $85  altogether,  and  thus 
we  obtained  a  space  in  the  after-hold,  on  the  salt,  of  about 
fifteen  feet  in  length  and  twenty  feet  in  width,  and  four  feet 
in  height.    A  door  connected  this  with  the  cabin,  and  it  was 


CAPTAIN'    DIXON^S   LOO.  141 

decided  that  the  passengers  occupy  this  space  and  the  cabin, 
and  that  the  crew  should  occupy  the  forecastle.  We  then 
spread  sails  on  top  of  the  salt,  and  mattresses  on  the  sails, 
thus  making  snug  but  quite  comfortable  quarters,  reaching 
forward  to  underneath  the  after-hatch.  Forward  of  tliis  was 
our  fish,  occupying  a  length  of  about  twelve  feet,  leaving  a 
space  forward  and  under  the  main  hatch  of  about  twelve  feet 
long,  where  we  carried  our  water  and  provisions,  and  also  our 
trawl  and  bony  lines.  This  being  completed,  the  passengers 
came  on  board  on  the  morning  of  August  21. 

In  order  to  insure  against  a  separation  in  case  of  a  fog 
or  in  the  darkness,  we  decided  that  the  steamer  should  tow 
the  schooner,  so  we  used  our  one  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms 
of  new  cable  as  a  tow-line,  and  arranged  a  few  signals  between 
myself  and  Captain  Farrell,  so  we  could  have  some  little  com- 
munication in  case  of  need  or  accident.  As  we  would  require 
more  room  in  case  we  had  to  take  off  the  crew  of  the 
Miranda,  we  decided  to  put  some  of  our  trawl  gear  on  board 
of  the  steamer  before  we  left  Sukkertoppen,  so  we  put  our 
sixty  trawl  anchors,  valued  at  $43.20,  and  fifty-three  trawl 
buoys,  valued  at  $G3,  on  board  the  steamer. 

This  finished  our  preparations,  and  we  got  under  way  in 
the  morning  of  August  21,  and  with  flags  flying  and  the  Es- 
kimos cheering  us  and  firing  guns  we  proceeded  out  to  sea 
witli  the  passengers  singing  **  My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee." 

August  21. — At  10.30  a.  m.  we  took  our  departure  from 
Sukkertoppen,  and  steered  west  by  our  compass.  The  wind 
wasS.S.W.,  with  a  fresh  breeze,  and  drizzly.  We  had  our  try- 
sail and  foresjiil  set,  and  were  making  seven  and  one-half  knots 
per  hour.  We  passed  numerous  icebergs  all  day.  The  wind 
freshened  until  midnight.  It  blew  a  strong  breeze  then  ; 
fell  off  by  4  a.  m.  to  a  fresh  breeze  on  the  morning  of 
August  22. 

August  22. — Swell  from  south,  with  misty  rain  and  indi- 


142  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

cations  of  a  storm  at  noon.  The  log  showed  192  knots 
made  since  leaving  Sukkertoppen,  and  I  communicated 
this  to  Captain  Farrell.  By  7  p.  m.  the  wind  hauled  to 
S.S.E.,  and  increased  to  a  moderate  gale  with  a  rising 
sea.  At  10  p.  m.  a  sea  heaving  in  on  our  port  side.  Our 
vessel  is  crowded,  we  having  on  board  sixty  men,  includ- 
ing our  crew,  and  we  have  to  keep  off  our  hatch  to  get 
ventilation.  The  Miranda  is  carrying  her  lifeboats  swung 
loose  to  the  davitts,  ready  to  drop  them  at  an  instant's  notice. 
To-night  the  captain  has  a  red  light  on  deck.  At  11  p.  m. 
the  wind  seems  to  moderate  a  little.  At  midniglit  I  hauled 
the  log,  and  it  showed  289  knots  since  leaving  Sukkertoppen. 
August  23.  —  At  ten  minutes  past  12,  midnight,  the 
steamer  Miranda  sounded  her  whistle  three  blasts,  that 
being  the  signal  that  she  was  in  a  sinking  condition,  and 
soon  after  they  hung  the  red  light  over  the  stern  as  a 
signal  for  me  to  be  ready.  Captain  Farrell  slackened  the 
speed  of  the  Miranda,  and  as  the  two  vessels  came  close  to- 
gether he  hailed  me  to  be  ready,  as  he  was  in  a  sinking  con- 
dition. I  hailed  him  to  cut  our  cable,  and  drop  off  in  his 
boats,  and  we  would  pick  them  up.  He  said  that  he  would 
try  to  hold  by  the  steamer  until  daylight.  There  was  a  very 
heavy  sea  running  from  the  southeast.  Captain  Farrell  let 
the  steamer  come  to  head  the  sea,  and  when  she  was  in  the 
hollow  of  the  sea  we  could  see  her  masts  at  times.  As  soon 
as  it  was  light  he  sent  a  boat  with  part  of  his  men,  and  the 
boat  then  made  three  more  trips,  while  we  launched  three 
dories  that  made  from  two  to  three  trips  each,  thus  taking  off 
the  crew  and  the  officers  and  considerable  provisions.  Cap- 
tain Farrell  came  off  in  the  last  boat,  and  before  he  left  he 
cast  off  our  tow-line,  and  the  Miranda  was  soon  out  of  sight 
in  the  dense  fog.  The  ship  Avas  abandoned  at  5.30  a.  m.  in 
latitude  Gl°  15'  N.  and  longitude  58°  40'  W.  The  barometer 
stood  at  28.80  after  the  last  boat  came  alongside  of  it.     The 


CAPTAIX    DIXOX*S   LOG.  143 

crew  and  the  officers  of  the  Miranda  numhered  thirty-three 
men,  making  us  ninety-three  men  all  told,  and  in  order  to 
make  room  for  them  in  the  main  hold  I  was  compelled  to 
take  off  the  main  hatch  and  throw  overboard  the  remainder 
of  our  trawl  gear,  consisting  of 

32  sheets  or  bundles  of  trawl,  valued  at $257.60 

3,200  fathoms  of  bony  line  "        •* 32.00 

1  oil  barrel  "       " 1.50 

With  considerable  rigging,  etc.  "       " 15.00 

1306.10 

Captain  Farrell  sent  from  the  steamer  two  bundles  contain- 
ing silverware,  and  two  chronometers,  and  two  sextants,  and 
some  lanterns,  and  the  crew  saved  their  clothes.  The  silver, 
chronometers,  and  sextants,  and  the  captain^s  clothing,  were 
put  in  the  cabin,  but  the  lanterns  were  left  on  deck,  because 
there  was  no  room  for  them  below.  Captain  Farrell  and  his 
crew  were  wet  and  draggled  when  they  reached  our  vessel. 
I  told  the  crew  to  spread  their  clothes  in  the  main  hold,  so  as 
to  make  a  sort  of  field  bed,  and  into  this  we  packed  all  of  the 
crew  that  we  could  put  in,  and  then  put  on  the  hatch  and 
barred  it.  After  heaving  in  cable  we  made  sail  under  our 
trysail  and  foresail  and  fore  staysail  and  jib,  and  steered 
southwest,  to  try  to  gain  Hamilton  Inlet,  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador,  that  place  being  about  380  miles  off.  At  8  p.  m. 
the  wind  died  out,  and  we  took  in  the  foresail  to  keep  it 
from  slating  to  pieces. 

August  2^.. — At  1  a.  m.  light  air  S.W.,  barometer  28.80, 
very  heavy  swell  from  S.E.  Hoisted  the  sail,  hauled  the  log, 
which  showed  40  knots  made  since  the  steamer  was  aban- 
doned. At  8  A.  M.  light  air  west,  made  sail  and  set  main- 
sail and  staysail,  heading  S.S.W.  Barometer  on  28.88.  At 
9.30  wind  freshened  to  fresh  breeze.  At  12,  log  showed 
76  knots.     W.N.W.  strong  breeze.     Got  a  peep  at  the  sun 


144  THE  LAST  CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRAKDA. 

this  afternoon,  which  showed  schooner  to  be  in  longitude 
57°  55'  W. 

August  25.— At  2.20  A.  m.  got  latitude  by  North  Star  58° 
5'  N.  Log  on  95  knots.  At  4  A.  m.  wind  hauled  southwest- 
erly. Log  on  5  knots,  showing  us  to  have  made  205  knots 
since  steamer  was  abandoned.  At  8  A.  m.  wind  S.W. ;  tacked 
ship  in  latitude  57°  40',  longitude  56°  45'.  This  is  our  first 
fine  day,  and  the  people  are  enjoying  themselves  sitting  about 
on  deck.  There  is  a  light  air  from  the  S.W.,  and  but  little 
progress  has  been  made  to-day.  The  barometer  has  been  up 
to  29.50.  At  6  P.  M.  the  clouds  show  signs  of  rain,  with  fre- 
quent puffs  of  wind  from  the  southward.  At  8  p.  m.  it  began 
to  rain,  and  continued  in  floods  all  night. 

August  26. — At  3.30  A.  m.  the  wind  ceased,  and  the  wind 
nauled  with  a  clearing  sky  in  the  westward.  The  barometer 
fell  to  29.40.  At  7.30  A.  m.  longitude  by  observation  5G°  56' 
"VV.  The  log  on  30  knots  ;  fine  breeze  northwest.  At  noon 
latitude  by  observation  56°  40'  N.  Passed  by  numerous  ice- 
bergs all  day.  In  the  afternoon  the  wind  fell  off  and  hauled 
to  S.W.,  with  light  airs  all  night. 

August  28. — At  8  A.  m.  sighted  the  coast  of  Labrador  bear- 
ing W.N.W.,  and  we  took  the  liberty  bell  on  deck  and  rang 
it;  at  noon  got  observation  53°  32'  N.,  and  found  the  land  to 
be  Spotted  Island.  We  had  the  wind  S.S.W.  and  threatening 
weather,  and  decided  to  make  a  harbor  for  the  night.  We 
spoke  a  schooner  and  got  a  pilot  from  it  for  five  dollars  to 
guide  us  into  the  Punch  Bowl  Harbor,  where  we  arrived  at 
5.30  p.  M,  and  filled  water  before  dark. 

August  29. — At  8  a.  m.  light  air  from  the  westward,  and  we 
got  under  way  and  proceeded  to  sea,  towing  the  vessel  with 
dories  until  we  were  clear  of  the  harbor  at  11.30  A.  m.  Five 
of  the  Miranda's  crew  were  left  at  Punch  Bowl  :  the  chief 
mate,  Mr.  Manuel ;  the  pilot,  Mr.  Dumphy  ;  the  steward,  Mr. 
Farrell,  and  two  firemen.  We  had  it  moderate  all  day  and  night. 


CAPTAIKr    DIXON's   LOG.  145 

with  a  dense  fog.  Saw  the  icebergs  in  the  night.  The  day 
after  we  got  outside  of  the  harbor  Messrs.  Dove  and  Porter 
and  Brown  took  a  dory  and,  rowing  among  the  fishing  boats, 
procured  a  nice  lot  of  fresh  codfish,  and  we  had  a  fine  fish 
chowder. 

August.  30 — Calm  in  the  forenoon,  and  light  breeze  in  the 
afternoon.  Thick  fog  all  day.  Passed  numerous  icebergs, 
some  of  tliem  very  close.  To-day  we  discovered  that  the 
sailors  of  the  Miranda  had  stolen  our  case  of  condensed  milk, 
and  I  decided  that,  as  a  punishment,  they  should  hereafter 
eat  at  the  last  table  in  the  afternoon.  We  saw  a  great  many 
icebergs,  and  at  5  p.  m.  we  heard  the  breakers  on  shore,  and 
we  tacked  and  stood  off. 

August  31. — At  4  p.  m.  the  fog  scaled,  and  we  saw  Belle 
Isle  bearing  S.W.  about  ten  miles.  Saw  a  small  schooner 
b^und  to  Green  Bay,  N.  F.,  and  told  it  to  report  us.  Strong 
breeze.  We  counted  ten  icebergs  in  sight  at  once.  At  noon 
we  took  a  pilot  and  went  into  Henley's  Harbor,  paying  four 
dollars  to  the  pilot,  which  was  raised  by  a  tarpolan  muster, 
and  the  passengers  bought  lots  of  fresh  codfish,  while  I  bought 
a  barrel  of  herring.  At  8  p.  m.  I  went  on  shore,  and  had  a  fish 
dinner  in  company  with  Captain  Farrell,  Commodore  Gardner, 
Dr.  Valle,  Mr.  Cleveland,  Mr.  Clover,  Mr.  Dewell,  and  Mr. 
Dibbs.     Dr.  Cook  bought  some  provisions. 

September  2. — The  fog  cleared  off  during  the  night,  and 
as  soon  as  it  was  daylight  we  got  our  pilot  to  take  us  out  of 
the  harbor.  Got  outside  at  5.30  A.  m.  Wind  west.  Counted 
sixteen  icebergs  in  sight  at  once  just  outside  the  harbor.  At 
9  A.  M.,  calm.  At  noon  the  wind  breezed  out  to  westward, 
with  rain.  Passed  a  number  of  icebergs  to-day.  At  6  a.  m., 
strong  breeze  E.  by  N.  Took  in  mainsail  and  jib,  and  set 
trysail.  Wind  increasing.  At  10  p.  m.  rope  started  off  on  the 
foresail,  and  we  hauled  it  down  and  repaired  it  as  well  as 
possible,  and  put  three  reefs  in  it  and  set  it,  and  then  steered 


146  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

"W.  by  N.  to  smoother  water,  under  the  lee  of  the  Labrador 
coast,  as  the  wind  was  hauling  to  the  northward.  "We  had  a 
very  disagreeable  night.  Our  stove  would  not  draw,  and  we 
had  to  put  the  fire  out,  leaving  it  cold  and  damp  and  disa- 
greeable.    However,  our  passengers  stood  it  like  martyrs. 

September  3. — At  4  p.  m.  we  met  a  steamer  going  east- 
ward ;  had  a  very  sharp  cross  sea.  Took  in  the  trysail  to  let 
the  stove  draw,  and  built  a  fire  in  the  cabin.  At  6  a.  m.  shook 
the  reef  out  of  the  foresail  and  put  in  a  small  reef.  At  8  a.  m. 
set  the  trysail  and  jib.  At  noon  shook  the  reef  out  of  the 
foresail.     The   wind   being   N.N.W.,  steered  W.S.W.    since 

8  A.  M.  At  4  p.  M.  set  mainsail  and  staysail,  and  set  the 
course  southwest,  holding  a  good  breeze  all  night.  Last  night 
Professor  Brewer  got  a  severe  fall,  caused  by  a  lurch  of  the 
vessel  that  threw  him  on  the  cabin  floor.  Dr.  Valle  and  Dr. 
Cook  attended  him,  and  found  some  bruises,  not  necessarily 
serious. 

September  Jf. — At  4  a.  m.  got  latitude  by  North  Star,  48° 
13' N.     At  daylight  saw  Cape  Anquilla  bearing  S.S.E.     At 

9  A.M.  saw  Cape  North,  C.  B.,  bearing  S.W.  Had  a  fine 
breeze  until  up  with  White  Point.  At  4  p.  m.  the  wind  fell 
off,  nearly  calm.  At  8  a.  m.  we  were  off  Ingamish  Island, 
and  the  wind  hauled  to  the  S.W.,  with  fog  and  rain  that 
lasted  all  night. 

September  5. — At  1  a.  m.  we  saw  Sydney  light  to  wind- 
ward, and  after  beating  up,  we  entered  Sydney  harbor  at  5 
a.  m.,  and  got  in  and  anchored  about  7  a.  m.  Captain  Farrell 
and  Dr.  Cook  and  myself  went  ashore,  and  I  called  at  the 
residence  of  the  Custom-house  officer.  He  gave  me  permission 
to  get  any  provisions  that  we  might  need,  also  permission  for 
any  of  the  passengers  to  go  ashore  to  the  hotels,  which  they 
were  not  long  in  doing,  most  of  the  passengers  having 
declared  their  intention  that  they  would  go  home  by  some 
other  conveyance.     At  2  p.  m.  the  Custom-house  officer  came 


OAPTATJf    DIXOIf's   LOG.  147 

on  board,  and  the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  Miranda  were 
allowed  to  cake  their  effects  on  shore.  In  the  evening  Cap- 
tain Farrell  and  myself  were  invited  to  South  Sydney,  by  the 
passengers,  to  a  grand  supper  in  the  Sydney  Hotel.  I  need 
not  say  that  we  accepted  the  invitation,  and  that  it  was  a 
happy  time  that  we  could  well  appreciate  after  being  huddled 
together  as  we  had  been  for  the  last  fifteen  days. 


ATMOSPHERIC   DUST  IN  THE  ARCTIC 
REGIONS. 


BY  PROFESSOR  WILLIAM  H.   BREWER. 


The  atmosphere  always  con- 
tains dust,  and  the  phenomena 
relating  to  it  have  long  been  a 
subject  of  much  interest  to  me. 
It  is  obvious  that  the  air  of  the 
Arctic  regions  must  be  much  less 
dust-laden  than  our  own ;  there- 
fore, during  our  trip  to  Greenland 
I  made  such  observations  on  the 
related  phenomena  as  were  prac- 
ticable without  the  use  of  special 
instruments. 

The  dust  (including  smoke)  in 
the  atmosphere  is  generally  spoken  of  as  an  impurity  or 
pollution.  It  renders  the  air  less  transparent,  and  is  the  source 
of  various  diseases  and  ailments  of  both  mankind  and  animals. 
In  this  sense  it  is  an  impurity.  It  may  also  be  so  considered 
in  the  sense  that  it  is  not  gas,  but  consists  of  solid  particles 
suspended  in  a  gaseous  medium.  In  another  sense  it  is  not 
an  impurity,  but  rather  a  permanent  constituent  of  the 
atmosphere,  always  and  everywhere  present.  It  is  also  not 
an  impurity  in  the  sense  that  as  a  constituent  of  the  air  it 
plays  an  essential  part  in  many  meteorological  phenomena. 
It  varies  enormously  in  its  quantity,  its  fineness,  its  origin,  its 
chemical  composition,  and  in  its  efEects,  but  is  never  entirely 
absent. 


ATMOSPHERIC    DUST   IK   THE   ARCTIC   REGIONS.  149 

The  relation  of  the  suspended  dust-particles  to  various  at- 
mospheric phenomena  has  been  the  subject  of  much  recent 
study,  and  each  year  adds  to  its  interest.  It  is  scarcely  more 
than  twenty  years  since  Tyndall  showed  its  biological  impor- 
tance as  being  the  active  cause  of  ordinary  fermentation  and 
putrefaction,  and  also  as  causing  the  blue  color  of  the  sky. 
It  is  not  yet  fifteen  years  since  Aitken  showed  the  part  it 
played  in  the  formation  of  clouds,  fog,  and  rain.  Since  then 
numerous  observers  have  confirmed  their  conclusions  and 
studied  its  relation  to  the  colors  of  tlie  sky,  the  nature  of  haze, 
and  other  atmospheric  phenomena. 

The  systematic  investigations  have,  however,  been  mostly 
restricted  to  work  in  laboratories  or  observations  on  the  free 
air  of  a  few  regions  in  Europe  and  the  United  States,  sup- 
plemented by  casual  observations  on  certain  atmospheric  phe- 
nomena observed  elsewhere  in  the  temperate  and  tropical 
zones.  So  far  as  I  know,  the  recorded  observations  made  in 
the  polar  regions  are  confined  to  the  fact  that  dust  has  been 
found  in  the  snow  by  several  Arctic  explorers.  Captain 
Nares  found  it  in  the  stratified  snow  over  the  **  palaeocrystic 
sea  "  in  the  far  north,  and  others  have  noted  it  in  the  snows  of 
Greenland  and  Lapland. 

For  a  better  understanding  of  the  relations  of  atmospheric 
dust  to  certain  phenomena  in  the  Arctic  regions  it  may  be 
well  to  state  a  few  elementary  facts  in  physics  and  the  con- 
ditions that  exist  in  the  other  climates. 

Watery  vapor  is  a  colorless  gas  and  as  invisible  as  the  other 
gases  are  that  constitute  most  of  the  atmosphere.  It  only 
becomes  visible  when  condensed  as  cloud,  fog,  snow,  or  rain. 
Ordinary  air  will  hold  only  a  certain  amount  of  this  invisible 
vapor,  the  quantity  depending  on  the  temperature.  When  it 
contains  all  of  the  vapor  it  will  hold  at  any  temperature  it  is 
said  to  be  saturated.  If  the  temperature  is  raised,  the  amount 
of  vapor  required  to  saturate  air  increases,  and  on  the  other 


150  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

hand,  if  the  air  is  cooled  below  the  point  of  saturation  a  part 
of  the  vapor  condenses  as  cloud,  rain,  or  snow.  The  tempera- 
ture at  which  it  begins  to  condense  is  called  the  "  dew-point, '* 
which  is  also  the  point  of  saturation.  If  it  condenses  on  a 
large  surface  it  is  obviously  liquid,  but  if  condensation  takes 
place  throughout  the  mass  of  the  air  it  forms  a  cloud,  as 
always  occurs  when  steam  from  a  jet  issues  into  the  outer  air. 
Until  lately  there  has  been  much  uncertainty  as  to  the  nature 
of  this  cloud.  Some  considered  that  the  particles  were  hollow 
vesicles — minute  bubbles,  as  it  were — each  containing  a  little 
air,  and  thus  made  buoyant.  Others  held  that  the  particles 
were  simply  minute  drops  of  water,  so  small  that  they  were 
suspended  in  the  gaseous  medium,  just  as  particles  of  dust  are. 
In  laboratory  experiments  on  the  matter  the  formation  of  cloud 
was  found  to  be  very  capricious  ;  sometimes  it  formed  and 
sometimes  not,  and  several  curious  hypotheses  were  suggested 
to  account  for  the  anomalies. 

It  was  believed,  however,  that  whenever  saturated  air  was 
cooled  below  the  dew-point  condensation  would  and  must 
occur,  as  it  certainly  did  in  free  air.  If  it  was  on  a  cooled 
surface,  then  as  dew  ;  if  throughout  the  whole  mass  of  the 
air,  then  a  cloud  must  be  formed  within  the  air  itself;  and  if  the 
supply  of  vapor  was  continued,  or  the  temperature  continued 
to  fall,  then  the  cloud-particles  would  increase  in  size  and 
become  drops  of  rain,  or,  if  this  occurs  below  32°  Fahr.,  then 
frost  or  snow.     Such  was  the  belief  until  a  very  few  years  ago. 

It  is  now  proved  that  steam  or  watery  vapor  does  not 
readily  condense  unless  it  has  a  surface  to  condense  upon.  In 
the  open  air  the  suspended  dust-particles  furnish  this  surface. 
Air  in  closed  vessels  may  artificially  be  freed  from  all  dust- 
particles,  and  if  a  jet  of  steam  be  admitted  into  such  an  atmos- 
phere no  cloud  is  formed  ;  the  air  becomes  supersaturated — 
that  is,  contains  much  more  vapor  than  it  will  hold  in  its 
natural  state.     It  has  thus  been  made  to  hold  several  times 


ATMOSPHERIC    DUST   IX   THE   ARCTIC    REGIONS.  151 

the  normal  amount  required  for  saturation.  If  the  smallest 
amount  of  common  air  (dust-laden  as  it  always  is)  be  admitted 
into  such  supersaturated  air,  cloud  immediately  forms.  As 
Aitken  expresses  it,  "  dust  is  the  germ  of  which  clouds  and  fog 
are  the  developed  phenomena." 

Atmospheric  dust  is  of  very  varied  origin  and  fineness.  .A 
part  of  it  is  organic,  coming  from  the  vegetable  and  animal 
world,  either  as  part  of  original  growth  or  organic  material 
partially  decayed.  Some  of  it  consists  of  the  solid  particles  in 
smoke  ;  a  part  consists  of  pulverized  soil  raised  by  the  winds  ; 
some  doubtless  comes  from  dust  in  space  or  the  combustion  of 
shooting-stars  when  they  reach  the  atmosphere.  These  various 
ingredients  are  mingled  in  every  conceivable  proportion  and 
are  of  every  degree  of  fineness,  from  coarse  drifting  sands 
down  to  particles  of  molecular  fineness.  Illuminated  by  the 
sun  or  other  light,  the  air  becomes  visible  because  of  this  dust. 
The  rays  are  scattered,  and  diffused  daylight  and  twilight  are 
among  the  results.  The  particles  may  be  so  small  as  to  break 
up  the  light-waves  and  by  diffraction  and  polarization  pro- 
duce colors — reds,  blues,  greens,  yellows,  and  their  various 
combinations,  according  to  the  size  and  character  of  the 
particles. 

Moisture  begins  to  accumulate  on  these  particles  long  be- 
fore cloud  begins  to  form,  changing  the  color  and  visibility  of 
the  atmosphere,  so  the  aspect  of  haze  changes  with  the  dry- 
ness of  the  air  as  well  as  with  the  size  of  the  particles. 

The  sirocco  of  Egypt  is  a  hot  southerly  wind  from  the 
desert,  so  laden  with  fine  dust  that  it  is  an  Arabian  saying 
that  it  will  penetrate  the  shell  of  an  egg.  Travellers  describe 
the  color  of  the  sun  seen  througli  this  air  as  red  or  dull 
purple.  The  harmattan  is  a  scorching  easterly  wind  blowing 
from  the  interior  of  the  Sahara  toward  the  Atlantic  between 
Capes  Lopez  and  Verde.  It  is  so  laden  with  fine  dust  that  it 
is  often  described  as  a  "  dry  fog,"  through  which  the  sun  ap- 


152  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

pears  of  a  dull  red.  It  extends  out  over  the  Atlantic  for 
nearly  a  thousand  miles,  and  has  been  described  by  many 
travellers.  It  is  much  like  the  "dry  storms"  of  San  Diego 
County,  California,  which  are  hot,  withering  easterly  winds 
coming  over  the  intervening  mountains  from  the  interior 
deserts,  intensely  dry,  and  so  laden  with  impalpable  dust  that 
the  sun  is  seen  through  it  dull  and  brown  in  color.  The 
"dry  fogs"  of  eastern  California  are  of  similar  origin,  and 
assume  a  variety  of  phases,  according  to  the  season. 

The  dry  fogs,  so  called,  which  occur  in  many  parts  of  the 
world,  are  composed  of  dust,  not  water.  One  extended  over 
Europe  for  weeks  in  1783,  from  the  dust  thrown  out  by  the 
great  volcanic  eruption  in  Iceland  that  year. ,  The  great  erup- 
tion of  Krakatoa  in  July,  1883,  belched  forth  dust  for  many 
days,  and  in  such  quantities  that  the  coarser  portions  covered 
some  of  the  neighboring  islands  several  feet  thick,  smothering 
the  unfortunate  inhabitants.  The  finer  particles  were  wafted 
around  the  world,  producing  effects  that  caused  wonderment 
everywhere.  In  India  the  sun  rose  and  set  green  for  a  week. 
In  the  Seychelles  and  in  Brazil  the  sun  was  as  pale  as  the 
moon.  In  Europe  and  the  United  States  the  most  wondrous 
red  sun-glows  illumined  the  western  sky  a  month  or  two 
later.  We  all  remember  them  in  the  late  November  of  that 
year.     They  extended  to  the  Hawaiian  Islands. 

Civilization  and  agriculture  add  greatly  to  the  amoun  of 
atmospheric  dust.  The  cultivated  fields  and  the  dry  roads 
furnish  much  material,  and  the  smoke  produced  in  every 
house  and  manufactory  adds  to  it.  I  explored  the  Eocky 
Mountains  of  Colorado  before  there  were  any  railways  or 
big  cities  there,  and  again  a  quarter  of  a  century  later,  after 
it  had  become  a  great  State,  traversed  by  numerous  railways, 
and  when  great  cities  had  risen  where  I  had  only  seen  open 
plain  or  secluded  valley.  Farms  covered  the  plain,  and  smoke 
rose  from  numerous  smelting  works  and  manufactories.   Dur- 


ATMOSPHERIC   DUST  IN  THE   ARCTIC   REGIONS.  153 

ing  both  visits  I  studied  the  atmospheric  effect  both  from  the 
valleys  and  from  the  mountain-tops  to  above  fourteen  thou- 
sand feet.  The  change  in  the  atmospheric  aspects  produced 
by  man  was  striking  and  obvious.  The  dust  of  civilization, 
the  smoke  from  the  numerous  smelters,  locomotives,  and 
household  fires,  had  so  polluted  the  air  that  it  was  scarcely 
half  so  transparent  as  before,  and  had  curiously  changed  the 
aspect  of  the  landscapes  when  seen  from  the  heights 

No  height  yet  reached  by  man  is  above  this  dust,  but  the 
higher  we  go  the  finer  it  is,  producing  corresponding  effects. 
The  intensely  dark  blue  of  the  sky,  the  color  often  tinged 
with  violet  when  seen  from  high  peaks,  is  due  to  the  fineness 
of  the  atmospheric  dust  at  those  altitudes.  The  coarser  dust 
lies  nearer  the  surface.  Professor  Langley  has  described  it  as 
seen  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Whitney,  looking  eastward 
over  the  deserts,  and  I  have  studied  it  from  numerous  peaks. 
The  aspect  varies  with  the  season,  with  the  weather  at  the 
time,  and  with  the  time  of  day.  For  illustration  I  may  cite 
my  experience  on  Lassen's  Peak,  in  northern  California. 
The  first  ascent  was  made  when  a  cyclonic  area  was  passing. 
An  ocean  of  cloud  was  below  us,  driven  by  the  furious  wind 
and  tossed  into  gigantic  billows.  We  were  entirely  above 
this.  Its  surface  was  the  purest  white,  illuminated  by  the 
sun  from  a  cloudless  sky,  and  eighty  miles  away  the  majestic 
carve  of  Mount  Shasta  rose  a  mile  into  the  clear  air  above 
this  cloud-ocean. 

The  next  ascent  was  a  few  days  later,  after  the  storm  had 
entirely  passed,  and  illustrated  the  other  features.  This  peak 
commands  a  wider  view  than  I  have  seen  elsewhere,  extend- 
ing in  some  directions  to  two  hundred  miles.  We  made  the 
ascent  in  the  night,  and  watched  the  marvellous  colors  of  the 
dawn  over  the  dusty  deserts  in  the  east.  West  and  south  of 
us  was  the  great  central  valley  of  California,  its  objects  clear 
in  the  early  morning,  but  before  midday  it  was  filled  with 


154  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

dust  to  the  depth  of  a  mile  or  more,  shutting  out  all  distant 
objects  on  the  bottom.  It  was  a  hazy  ocean  with  ill-defined 
surface  and  shores,  shading  into  the  mountains  that  rose 
above  it  on  either  side.  The  surface  passed  insensibly  into 
that  finer  and  clearer  dust  which  extended  into  the  upper 
regions  of  the  atmosphere.  At  sunrise  the  shadow  of  the 
conical  peak  was  visible,  and  the  sun  shining  on  the  motes 
made  the  air  visible  on  either  side  of  the  shadow,  which  was 
wonderfully  distinct  against  the  clear  sky.  It  was  of  deep 
cobalt-blue,  sharply  contrasting  with  the  light  azure-blue  of 
the  sunlit  air  about  it.  By  optical  illusion  this  shadow 
seemed  far  higher  than  the  peak  itself.  Owing  to  the  curva- 
ture of  the  earth,  it  stood  far  above  the  mountain  ranges  on 
the  distant  horizon,  a  gigantic  spectral  peak  projected  against 
the  western  sky,  sinking  as  the  sun  mounted  higher,  an 
object  of  indescribable  grandeur. 

Travellers  have  often  described  similar  shadows  of  other 
peaks.  Other  optical  phenomena  occur,  some  due  to  the 
dust  alone,  others  due  to  the  partially  condensed  moisture  on 
the  dust.  The  Spectre  of  the  Brocken,  in  Germany,  and  the 
glory  about  Adam's  Peak,  in  Ceylon,  are  well-known  ex- 
amples. 

The  exquisite  blue  of  the  tropical  skies,  the  dark  blue- 
violet  sky  seen  from  very  high  peaks,  the  various  phases  of 
haze  over  landscapes,  the  charm  of  our  Indian  summer  atmos- 
phere, the  green  sun  seen  in  India  and  in  Ecuador  after  vol- 
canic eruptions,  the  bloody  sun  of  some  climes  and  the 
copper  sun  of  others,  are  among  the  optical  phenomena  due  to 
atmospheric  dust. 

Our  trip  to  Greenland  was  from  the  familiar  atmospheric 
conditions  of  our  own  clime  to  those  entirely  new  to  me,  and 
therefore  had  an  especial  interest.  The  ice  and  snow  were 
not  new  except  as  to  quantity  and  thickness.  Much  of  the 
vegetation  had  a  sort  of  familiar  look  ;  I  had  met  so  many 


ATMOSPHERIC    DUST   IN   THE    ARCTIC    REGIONS.  155 

of  the  same  species  on  the  alpine  peaks  of  California, 
Colorado,  and  Switzerland.  But  the  atmospheric  aspects 
were  new  and  strange,  and  at  times  fascinating.  They  showed 
themselves  in  the  character  of  the  rains  and  fogs,  in  the 
aspects  of  the  sky  and  the  landscapes,  and  in  the  mirages 
seen  over  the  water. 

The  rains  and  fogs,  and  other  atmospheric  phenomena  of 
that  portion  of  the  North  which  we  visited,  were  just  such  as 
we  might  infer  from  the  paucity  of  smoke  and  dust  in  the  air 
there.  Over  the  millions  of  square  miles  within  the  Arctic 
Circle  practically  no  smoke  is  generated,  and  but  little  for 
many  more  millions  lying  in  the  higli  latitudes  surrounding 
it.  All  the  other  sources  of  dust  are  scanty,  and  most  of  that 
which  is  wafted  to  the  regions  from  more  southern  climes  is 
washed  out  rapidly  by  the  abundant  rains  and  fogs.  From 
the  nature  of  the  case,  the  difference  between  the  air-temper- 
ature and  the  dew-point  can  never  be  so  great  as  it  is  in  our 
latitude. 

It  was  evident  from  the  character  of  both  the  fogs  and 
rains  that  there  was  a  paucity  of  dust-particles  in  the  air  for 
the  water  to  condense  upon.  None  of  the  fogs  seen  north  of 
latitude  52°  or  53°  are  so  white  and  opaque  as  those  which 
are  common  south  of  latitude  50°.  There  is  much  exaggera- 
tion in  the  popular  description  of  fogs.  We  often  hear 
them  described  as  being  so  thick  that  nothing  can  be  seen 
a  hundred  feet  away.  In  fact,  such  fogs  are  rare,  on  sea  or 
land.  Comparatively  few  fogs  are  so  opaque  that  large  dark 
objects  cannot  be  seen  through  them  two  hundred  feet.  I 
saw  none  in  the  Greenland  seas  through  which  we  could  not 
see  several  hundred  feet,  and  usually  very  much  farther.  The 
fogs  were  all  much  more  transparent  than  those  we  met  with 
off  the  coast  of  New  England  and  Nova  Scotia  on  our  voyage 
both  out  and  back.  They  were,  however,  as  a  rule,  very 
much  wetter,  and  more  misty.     Often,  when  the  fog  was  so 


156  THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA, 

transparent  that  we  could  see  a  half-mile,  or  even  a  mile,  in 
every  direction  from  the  ship,  the  water  would  drip  like  rain 
from  the  rigging  and  every  exposed  surface,  and  our  beards 
and  clothes  would  be  rapidly  covered  with  fine  drops. 

Even  those  surface  fogs  which  rested  on  the  water  under 
a  clear  sky,  and  which  shut  out  the  horizon,  but  with  the  sun 
shining  through  from  above,  were  very  wet.  The  ship's  rig- 
ging, and  even  our  beards,  would  drip,  furnishing  surface  for 
condensation.  On  our  return,  and  when  in  the  dense,  opaque 
fogs  met  with  south  of  New  England,  I  noticed  the  marked 
contrast  in  their  wetness,  so  to  speak.  At  times,  when  we 
could  not  see  a  ship's  length,  the  air  did  not  behave  as  if  it 
was  entirely  saturated.  The  decks  of  the  ship  would  dry 
after  scrubbing,  and  other  wet  but  exposed  objects  would 
dry  even  in  the  fog.  The  dust-particles  in  the  air  over  these 
southern  waters  were  ample  to  collect  all  the  moisture,  and 
more  too ;  while  in  the  Greenland  fogs,  condensation  went  on 
as  if  there  was  not  dust  enough  in  the  air  to  supply  the 
demand. 

The  fogs  we  met  with  in  Vineyard  Sound,  before  and  after 
the  collision  with  the  schooner  Dora  M.  French,  were  strik- 
ingly white  and  opaque,  as  contrasted  with  all  those  encoun- 
tered in  the  Greenland  seas,  but  were  damp  rather  than  wet. 

All  the  rains  observed  north  of  latitude  53°  differed  from 
the  summer  rains  at  home  in  that  they  consisted  only  of  small 
drops — mist  rather  than  rain.  For  example,  the  heaviest 
rain  we  had  at  Sukkertoppen  occurred  on  August  11.  Nu- 
merous rills  streamed  from  the  rocky  heights  in  small  cas- 
cades, and  streams  poured  from  the  scuppers  of  the  ship,  but 
the  rain  was  a  fine  mist.  It  seemed  strange  that  such  misty 
rain,  falling  so  noiselessly,  could  possibly  wet  so  fast  as  this 
did.  The  same  fact  was  noticed  in  numerous  other  rains, 
both  in  the  harbor  at  Sukkertoppen  and  outside.  In  the 
heavy  storm  in  Davis   Straits,  in  which  the  Miranda  was 


ATMOSPHERIC    DUST   IN   THE   ARCTIC    REGIONS.  157 

abandoned  on  August  23,  and  when  the  barometer  fell  one  inch 
and  a  half,  the  rain,  although  very  wetting,  was  a  fine  mist. 
This  was  in  latitude  61°  15',  and  perhaps  two  hundred  miles 
from  land.  Such  was  the  character  of  all  the  rains  we  had 
while  in  the  North,  and  on  our  return  until  just  below  lati- 
tude 52°,  when  during  the  night  we  had  a  shower  of  large 
drops.  It  was  of  short  duration,  but  the  patter  of  the  big 
drops  on  the  deck  told  us  that  we  were  back  again  to  familiar 
atmospheric  conditions. 

The  slight  range  of  temperature  was  also  probably  a  fac- 
tor in  the  difference  in  size  of  the  rain-drops  as  well  as  in 
the  opacity  of  the  fog.  In  warmer  regions^  we  have  not  only 
a  greater  abundance  of  dust-particles  upon  which  condensa- 
tion may  take  place,  but  a  greater  range  of  temperature  to 
promote  rapid  condensation.  North  of  latitude  58°  the  sur- 
face waters  were  below  42°  Fahr.,  and  out  over  the  open 
water  the  air  was  rarely  above  4G°.  Often  the  difference  be- 
tween the  air-temperature  and  that  of  the  water  was  not  over 
two  or  three  degrees,  and  during  the  fogs  in  Baffin  Bay  the 
difference  was  usually  less  than  six  degrees,  and  local  patches 
of  fog  would  sometimes  form  with  changes  in  the  air- temper- 
ature of  a  single  degree,  or  even  less.  In  the  fogs  met  with 
while  in  and  near  the  ice  off  Cape  Desolation  there  were  sud- 
den and  temporary  changes  of  one  or  two  degrees  of  tempera- 
ture in  the  air,  during  which  there  would  be  changes  in  the 
transparency  of  the  misty  fog. 

The  aspects  of  the  sky  and  landscape  were  striking,  and  I 
think  it  probable  that  this  produces — unconsciously,  of  course 
— one  of  the  fascinations  of  Arctic  scenery.  The  sky  was  a 
light  blue,  in  the  clearest  day,  and  whitish  in  ordinary  clear 
weather  ;  yet  the  light  was  strong,  and  our  professional  pho- 
tographer, Mr.  Kersting,  often  remarked  on  its  qualities  for 
photography.  Some  of  his  views  rivalled  the  best  views 
taken  in  California,  where  the  atmosphere  is  supposed  to  be 


158  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

especially  favorable  for  outdoor  photography.  It  is  much 
more  so  than  that  of  the  Eastern  States,  yet,  contrasting  the 
atmosphere  of  the  three,  as  to  the  physical  characters,  that 
of  Greenland  stands  at  the  opposite  extreme  from  that  of 
California,  and  our  photographs,  as  a  whole,  were  strikingly 
good.  There  were  nearly  a  score  of  cameras  on  board,  and 
even  the  most  inexperienced  amateurs  were  brilliantly  suc- 
cessful in  getting  good  views. 

During  our  detention  at  Sukkertoppen,  awaiting  the 
arrival  of  a  rescue  vessel,  I  made  frequent  trips  to  the  sur- 
rounding heights,  some  of  which  commanded  wide  and  ex- 
ceedingly grand  views.  This  is  considered  the  boldest  and 
most  picturesque  portion  of  "Western  Greenland.  The  head- 
lands are  lofty  and  precipitous,  and  the  mainland  and  some 
of  the  larger  islands  are  studded  with  pinnacled  and  inacces- 
sible rocky  peaks,  furrowed  by  numerous  narrow  gorges  con- 
taining more  or  less  perpetual  snow.  The  mainland  is  cut  by 
three  fiords,  which  run  up  the  country  for  from  forty  to  sixty- 
four  miles.  Beyond  these  are  high  and  precipitous  mountains, 
the  higher  ones  being  pinnacles  of  granite,  with  the  great  inte- 
rior snow-cap  surrounding  them,  and  coming  in  grand  glaciers 
down  through  the  gaps  between  them  to  the  fiords.  The 
aspect  of  the  region,  as  seen  from  the  summits  back  of  the 
colony,  was  impressively  grand  and  striking. 

There  was  absolutely  no  softening  by  blue  haze,  as  we  have 
over  the  landscapes  of  temperate  climes.  The  sharp,  rugged 
peaks  rising  from  the  desolate  ice  and  snow  of  the  interior, 
and  the  rounded,  naked  rocks  nearer  the  sea,  under  the  cold 
gray  light  had  a  scenic  aspect  very  unlike  any  other  land- 
scapes I  have  ever  seen.  They  had  a  sublimity  of  their  own, 
which  awed  while  it  fascinated.  They  were  indescribably 
impressive,  but  were  not  picturesque.  The  clouds  which  hung 
about  the  peaks  much  of  the  time  were  ragged,  and  had  ill- 
defined  edges.     I  saw  none  of  the  cumulus  masses  of  cloud 


ATMOSPHERIC    DUST   IN   THE   ARCTIC   REGIOKS.  15d 

which  constitute  such  a  picturesque  feature  among  the  moun- 
tains of  temperate  and  tropical  countries.  The  clouds  were 
usually  stratus,  and  when  not  covering  the  whole  sky  had  ill- 
defined  edges,  often  fading  off  into  watery  mist. 

When  not  wrapped  in  clouds  or  dim  in  the  mist  the  rocky 
peaks  were  projected  against  a  cold,  gray  sky.  I  have  been  told 
by  travellers  who  have  been  frozen  up  over  winter  in  the  Arctic 
seas  that  as  the  sun  leaves  them  in  the  autumn,  and  before  it 
appears  in  the  spring,  there  are  very  brilliant  red  sunset 
cloud-effects,  but  they  were  seen  but  sparingly  during  our 
visit.  "We  had,  however,  the  beautiful  rosy  "  alpenglow  " 
twice  at  sunset  upon  the  great  snow-fields  and  glaciers. 
It  was,  however,  less  pronounced  than  I  have  seen  it 
on  the  snowy  peaks  of  Oregon,  California,  Wyoming,  and 
Switzerland.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  in  the  clearer 
and  cooler  weather  of  April  and  May  the  colors  would  be 
stronger. 

Where  there  was  any  haze  over  the  Greenland  landscape  it 
was  a  gray,  watery  haze,  entirely  unlike  either  the  white  haze 
sometimes  seen  over  dry  deserts  or  the  blue  haze  seen  over 
civilized  lands  and  where  there  is  smoke  in  the  atmosphere. 
There  was  absolutely  none  of  that  blue  haze  which  gives  such 
a  special  charm  to  our  own  landscapes,  where  all  the  minor 
details  are  indistinct  in  the  distance,  and  which  produces  such 
charming  effects  of  color  when  the  sun  is  low  in  the  brilliant 
sky,  glowing  with  yellow,  orange,  or  red,  as  the  case  may  be, 
the  shadows  of  sunset  fading  from  the  glowing  sky  above  into 
the  indistinctness  of  the  valleys,  ending  in  a  flaming  red  on 
the  horizon  above  the  spot  where  the  sun  has  set. 

We  saw  smoky  haze  in  Labrador  as  we  looked  inland  from 
the  heights,  but  it  was  much  fainter  than  in  the  regions  far- 
ther north,  and  when  we  arrived  at  Sydney,  on  our  return, 
the  valley  beyond  the  town  was  filled  with  it,  the  landscape 
fading  into  indistinctness  in  the  blue  distance ;  this  effect 


160  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MlRAlSfDA. 

seemed  even  more  striking  and  beautiful  than  usual,  from  the 
contrast  with  what  we  had  seen  in  the  North. 

The  various  forms  of  "  ice-blink'^  and  "ice-loom/'  so 
familiar  to  Arctic  travellers,  are  also  probably  due  to  dust- 
particles  or  half-condensed  vapor,  scattering  the  light  re- 
flected to  them  from  ice  below  the  horizon.  It  is  a  peculiar 
color  or  appearance  in  the  air  which  is  above  ice.  The 
ordinary  phases  need  no  description  here.  We  saw  one 
little  phase,  however,  which  was  so  peculiar  and  striking  that 
it  may  be  noted.  We  had  passed  a  very  large  berg,  and  were 
watching  it  carefully  as  it  dropped  astern  to  see  how  long  it 
could  be  seen,  but  its  actual  disappearance  could  not  be  timed. 
A  light  spot  hovered  about  it  before  it  sank  out  of  sight,  and 
for  some  time  after  it  sank  below  the  horizon  the  place  of  its 
disappearance  was  marked  by  an  illuminated  spot  in  the  air 
like  a  segment  of  a  circle  or  an  ellipse  resting  on  the  horizon, 
brightest  near  the  water,  and  fading  out  from  the  centre. 

Although  not  related  to  atmospheric  dust,  there  is  a  phase 
of  optical  meteorology  that  needs,  perhaps,  a  word.  It  is 
the  mirage  noticed  by  all  Arctic  travellers.  We  had  our  best 
example  of  that  off  Newfoundland  and  Labrador.  In  these 
regions  the  fogs  occur  when  the  winds  are  easterly,  from  the 
south  round  to  the  northeast;  but  the  air  clears  when  the 
wind  is  westerly  or  off  shore.  If  it  be  mild  and  the  air 
warm,  then  the  mirage  is  likely  to  appear.  July  16  was 
one  of  the  most  enjoyable  days  of  the  trip.  We  were  steam- 
ing along  the  northeastern  coast  of  Newfoundland,  between 
latitude  49°  and  51°.  It  was  a  clear  day,  with  a  very  light 
wind  off  shore,  and  at  times  the  air  was  so  calm  that 
the  sea  was  almost  glassy.  The  atmosphere  was  very  trans- 
parent, and  the  sky  overhead  was  brightly  blue,  becoming 
very  pale  toward  the  horizon.  The  sea-horizon  itself  was 
very  dark,  but  not  sharp  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  wavy  and 
ill-defined,  often  ragged  and  changing  in  outline.     We  were 


ATMOSPHERIC   DUST  IK  THE  ARCTIC   REGIONS.  161 

in  the  great  procession  of  icebergs  coming  down  that  coast 
with  the  cold  current.  These  bergs  were  exceptionally  abun- 
dant and  large  in  1894,  and  the  effect  of  the  distortions  due 
to  mirage  of  those  on  the  horizon  was  fascinatingly  beautiful. 
Distant  bergs  would  be  appearing  and  disappearing.  Mar- 
vellous as  their  shapes  are  naturally,  they  were  made  much 
more  so  by  this  optical  distortion,  now  magnified  and  lifted 
to  many  times  their  real  height,  then  flattening  out  again, 
their  wavy  and  flickering  outline — bringing  them  into  weird 
and  strange  shapes — continually  changing  in  the  brilliant  sun- 
shine. Sometimes  they  would  fade  out  of  sight,  soon  to  be 
seen  again  peeping  above  the  dark  but  capricious  horizon,  now 
divided  into  two  with  a  belt  of  dark  water  between  and  then 
coming  back  to  normal  form  or  again  disappearing  entirely 
below  the  horizon,  where  a  ripple  on  the  sea  showed  that  local 
belts  of  light  wind  broke  up  the  unequally  heated  layers  of  air. 

The  mirages  of  these  regions  are  nearly  always  the  reverse 
of  those  seen  on  heated  deserts,  which  I  have  often  studied. 
Those  are  in  the  cooler  air  which  rests  on  hotter  soil.  These 
are  due  to  the  warmer  air  resting  on  colder  water,  and  the 
most  common  result  is  a  *'  looming  up,"  or  bringing  things 
above  the  horizon  which  would  normally  bo  below  it. 

This  pure,  dust-free  air  and  cool  temperature  were  pecul- 
iarly healthful.  The  hygienic  effects  were  remarked  by  lill 
our  party,  every  one  of  whom  returned  in  excellent  health  and 
strength,  save  one  or  two  cases  of  minor  accidental  bruises. 

I  await  with  much  interest  fuller  investigation  on  the  at- 
mospheric dust-phenomena  of  the  Arctic  regions.  A  quanti- 
tative investigation  of  the  relative  number  of  particles,  and  a 
comparison  in  this  respect  with  the  numbers  found  in  other 
regions,  are  especially  needed.  Fuller  and  more  systematic 
observation  of  the  various  related  phenomena,  made  under 
other  conditions  and  at  other  seasons,  Avould  be  exceedingly 
interesting,  and  rich  in  scientific  results. 


GLACIAL   OBSERVATIONS    IN    LABRADOR 
AND  SOUTHERN  GREENLAND. 


BY  PROFESSOR  G.   FREDERICK  WRIGHT. 


0:s  crossing  Davis  Straits  from 
Labrador  to  Greenland  one  is  deep- 
ly impressed  with  the  contrast  in 
the  scenery  of  the  two  countries. 
The  coast  of  Labrador  presents 
everywhere  a  smooth  and  flowing 
outline  against  the  sky.  There 
are  no  sharp  peaks,  but  every- 
where the  contour  is  subdued  and 
graceful  in  outline.  Upon  the 
western  coast  of  southern  Green- 
land, on  the  contrary,  the  pre- 
vailing feature  of  the  landscape,  as 
seen  from  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  miles,  is  that  of  sharp, 
needle-like  peaks,  such  as  would  do  credit  to  the  high  Alps,  or 
to  the  central  portion  of  the  Eocky  Mountain  range,  though 
none  of  them  rise  more  than  4,000  or  5,000  feet  above  the  sea. 
In  seeking  for  the  reason  of  this  contrast  one  is  at  first 
puzzled  by  the  fact  that  it  is  not  due  to  any  dissimilarity  be- 
tween the  character  of  the  rocks  in  the  two  regions,  for  they 
belong  to  the  same  age  and  are  essentially  alike  in  all  re- 
spects, the  prevailing  rocks  in  both  instances  being  gneiss, 
with  occasional  masses  of  granite  and  frequent  intersecting 
veins  of  trap.  We  must  look,  therefore,  for  some  other  cause 
than  the  nature  of  the  rocks  for  explanation  of  this  diversity 
of  appearance. 


GLACIAL   OBSERVATIONS.  163 

Due  reflection  upon  the  facts,  and  upon  the  forces  in 
operation  adapted  to  their  production,  will,  however,  fur- 
nish a  satisfactory  and  adequate  exjilanation.  The  flowing, 
graceful  outline  of  the  Labrador  coast  is  the  result  of  the  hor- 
izontal erosion  effected  by  such  a  rigid  force  as  is  furnished 
by  an  ice-sheet  slowly  moving  over  the  surface  and  planing  it 
down  to  a  comparative  level,  while  the  coast  of  Greenland 
shows  the  signs  of  having  been  sculptured  predominantly  by 
the  action  of  water  and  other  sub-aerial  agencies,  rather  than 
by  an  all-enveloping  ice-sheet ;  for  water  erodes  mainly  in 
vertical  sections,  wearing  deep,  narrow  channels  at  frequent 
intervals,  leaving  masses  of  land  between  the  channels  to  be 
gradually  worn  by  frost  and  wind  and  rain  into  the  sharp, 
needle-like  peaks  characteristic  of  most  high  altitudes. 

At  first  thought  it  seems  improbable  that  the  scenery 
on  the  coast  of  Labrador  should  betray  the  sculpturing 
power  of  a  glacial  ice-sheet  more  clearly  than  the  coast  of 
Greenland  does,  and  the  fact  is  of  great  significance  ;  for 
there  are  no  extensive  glaciers  in  Labrador  at  present,  while  in 
southern  Greenland  great  glaciers  come  down  to  the  head  of  all 
the  fiords,  and  some  of  them,  as  near  Frederickshaab  and  Suk- 
kertoppen,  reach  almost  to  the  open  sea  ;  and  everywhere  the 
borders  of  a  vast  inland  ice-sheet,  thousands  of  feet  in  thick- 
ness, are  met  from  fifteen  to  sixty  miles  back  from  the  ocean. 
The  question  therefore  arises  with  great  force.  Why  is  the 
scenery  of  the  coast  of  Labrador  more  characteristically  gla- 
cial than  that  of  Greenland  ?  The  answer  may  best  be  given 
in  a  general  statement  arrived  at  by  a  number  of  separate  in- 
ferences. Labrador  was  once  more  completely  enveloped  by 
ice  than  Greenland  has  ever  been.  The  border  of  Greenland 
has  probably  never  been  completely  covered  by  ice.  However 
great  the  former  extension  of  the  glaciers,  they  were  never 
confluent  near  the  border  of  the  sea,  but  flowed  outwards  in 
the  separate  channels  now  marked  oy  the  deep  fiords,  and 


164  THE    LAST    CEUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

were  separated  by  numerous  nunataks,  or  peaks,  which  per- 
petually lifted  themselves  above  the  ice,  subject  to  the  action 
of  sub-aerial  erosive  agencies.  If  the  margin  of  Greenland 
was  ever,  like  that  of  Labrador,  completely  enveloped  in  ice, 
so'as  to  be  planed  down  to  a  nearly  uniform  level,  it  must 
have  been  at  a  period  preceding  by  an  enormous  interval  that 
of  the  glacial  epoch  whose  evidences  are  now  visible. 

Yet  upon  penetrating  the  interior  of  Greenland  to  a  dis- 
tance of  about  twenty  miles,  where  the  margin  free  from  ice 
is  considerably  wider  than  that,  one  sees  before  him  the  same 
characteristic  flowing  outline  of  scenery  as  that  which  has  been 
described  in  Labrador.  Instead  of  numerous  sharp  peaks, 
there  is  the  subdued  and  gracefully  rounded  contour  which 
would  be  produced  by  long-continued  and  general  glaciation. 
Here,  too,  the  other  signs  of  a  former  occupancy  by  ice  appear 
in  increasing  degree  as  one  gets  farther  and  farther  into  the  in- 
terior. The  summits  of  the  higher  plateaus  above  2,000  feet 
bear  the  remnants  of  glaciers  which  were  formerly  much  more 
extensive,  and  which  even  now  send  occasional  projecting 
tongues  of  ice  down  to  the  lower  levels,  while  frequent  glaci- 
ated boulders  dot  the  surface  after  the  manner  with  which  we 
are  so  familiar  in  the  United  States.  But  there  is  a  remark- 
able absence  of  those  extensive  moraines  and  deposits  of  till 
or  boulder  clay  which  characterize  the  glaciated  portions  of 
the  United  States.  This  absence  of  extensive  glacial  deposits, 
characteristic  alike  of  Labrador  and  of  the  interior  portion  of 
the  outskirts  of  Greenland,  points  to  a  common  cause. 

Both  Labrador  and  these  portions  of  Greenland  are  so 
near  the  sources  from  which  the  supply  of  glacial  debris  has 
been  derived,  and  they  have  been  so  long  under  the  glacial 
harrow,  that  all  the  accessible  loose  material  has  been  swept 
away  to  the  margin,  where  the  glacial  deposits  have  been  prin- 
cipally made.  In  both  cases  this  margin  of  glacial  deposition 
is  covered  by  the  sea,  and  hence  is  not  visible.     There  can  be 


GLACIAL    OBSERVATIONS.  165 

little  doubt  that  the  submerged  banks  of  Newfoundland  are 
covered  by  deposits  of  glacial  material  derived  from  Labrador, 
just  as  northern  Germany  and  northeastern  Russia  are  cov- 
ered with  the  waste  from  the  Scandinavian  mountains.  If 
the  continental  plateau  surrounding  Newfoundland  should 
ever  be  elevated  so  as  to  be  again  above  the  sea,  it  is  quite 
probable  that  a  vast  population  could  spread  out  upon  it  and 
flourish  upon  the  glacial  grist  of  the  Labrador  mountains,  as 
the  southern  part  of  Ontario  and  tlie  northern  part  of  the 
United  States  are  now  rejoicing  in  the  fertility  of  the  Cana- 
dian grist  which  has  been  so  conveniently  spread  over  them 
by  the  continental  ice-sheet.  There  has  been  a  remarkable 
movement  in  Germany  recently  in  the  direction  of  fertilizing 
the  soils  by  grinding  up  certain  rocks  to  powder  and  scatter- 
ing it  profusely  over  the  surface.  Eminent  men  have  written 
to  me  concerning  the  feasibility  of  employing  these  kinds  of 
fertilizers  for  our  own  soils.  A  convincing  reply  is  readily 
made — namely,  that  nature  has  already  done  this  for  the 
northern  part  of  the  United  States  upon  a  scale  which  man 
cannot  hope  to  equal.  Every  kind  of  rock  from  the  north 
has  been  brought  into  requisition  to  furnish  material  for  this 
glacial  grist  in  the  northern  part  of  the  United  States,  and 
the  agriculturist  has  but  to  devise  ways  to  extract  its  richness 
and  his  success  is  assured.  But  this  process  has  left  the  far 
north  barren  of  agricultural  resources,  even  if  the  climate 
were  favorable.  Professor  Helland  estimates  that  as  much  as 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  material  has  been  removed  by 
glacial  action  from  the  Scandinavian  peninsula  and  deposited 
over  the  surrounding  belt  of  territory  extending  into  north- 
ern Germany  and  northwestern  Russia.  There  can  be  little 
question  that  corresponding  deposits  around  both  Labrador 
and  Greenland  are  covered  by  the  waters  of  the  ocean. 

At  this  point  two  inevitable  questions  may  best  be  an- 
swered.    First,  were  the  glaciers  of  Greenland  and  those 


166  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRAN"DA. 

of  Labrador  ever  confluent  in  Davis  Straits,  so  that  there 
was  continuous  ice  between  the  two  regions  ?  This  must  be 
answered  in  the  negative ;  for  the  evidence  already  given  of 
the  thinness  of  the  ice  over  the  outskirts  of  Greenland  is 
inconsistent  with  any  great  extension  of  it  from  Greenland 
into  Davis  Straits,  especially  as  the  bottom,  a  short  distance 
from  the  shore,  descends  rapidly  to  a  depth  of  several  thou- 
sand feet.  This  depth,  together  with  the  great  width,  which 
is  here  about  six  hundred  miles,  renders  it  extremely  im- 
probable that  ice  could  ever  have  been  supplied  from  the 
continent  rapidly  enough  to  have  filled  the  whole  intervening 
area 

This  leads  to  the  second  question,  relating  to  the  elevation 
of  the  land  at  the  time  of  the  glacial  period.  That  the  land 
on  both  sides  of  Davis  Straits  was  much  higher  before  and 
during  the  glacial  period  than  it  is  now  is  shown  by  the  great 
depth  of  the  Greenland  fiords  and  by  the  submerged  channels 
through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  From  the  mouth  of  the 
Saguenay  River  to  the  margin  of  the  Atlantic  plateau  two  hun- 
dred or  three  hundred  miles  south  of  Newfoundland  there  is  a 
well-marked  deep  channel  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence 
several  hundred  feet,  and  toward  the  mouth  from  1,200  to 
1,500  feet,  below  the  general  level  of  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf 
and  of  the  Banks.  In  other  words,  if  that  region  should  be 
elevated  six  hundred  feet,  the  whole  area  covered  by  the  Gulf 
of  St.  Lawrence  and  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland  would  be- 
come dry  land,  intersected  by  a  cafion  from  1,200  to  1,500 
feet  deep,  marking  the  ancient  course  of  the  St.  Lawrence  on 
its  way  to  the  sea.  The  inference  is  irresistible  that  in 
pre-glacial  times  that  area  was  elevated  to  a  height  of  from 
1,500  to  2,000  feet;  otherwise  the  erosion  of  such  a  channel 
is  inconceivable. 

The  argument  from  the  fiords  in  Greenland  is  of  a  similar 
nature.     Their  depth  is  such  as  to  indicate  a  former  elevation 


GLACIAL   OBSERVATIONS.  167 

of  the  land  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet  at  least.  As 
they  penetrate  the  interior  to  a  distance,  in  some  instances, 
of  seventy-five  miles,  it  would  seem  clear  that  the  whole  area 
must  have  been  above  the  water-level  at  one  time.  In  the 
case  of  the  submerged  channels  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence the  conditions  are  such  as  pretty  much  to  preclude  any 
other  agency  than  running  water  as  their  producing  cause. 
In  Greenland,  however,  it  is  possible  to  introduce  glaciers  as 
the  eroding  agency  in  deepening  the  fiords  when  the  level 
was  very  much  the  same  as  now,  in  which  case  we  should  not 
need  to  suppose  any  great  former  enlargement  of  the  land 
area  surrounding  Greenland.  In  any  case  there  is  no  evi- 
dence of  the  complete  filling  up  of  Davis  Straits  with  land-ice ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  overwhelming  evidence  against  it. 

A  more  detailed  description  of  my  observations  upon  the 
Greenland  coast  during  the  summer  of  1894  in  the  vicinity  of 
Sukkertoppen  will  add  considerably  to  the  strength  of  these 
inferences.  Sukkertoppen  is  in  latitude  G5°  25',  and  is  the 
largest  Eskimo  settlement  upon  the  coast,  containing  about 
four  hundred  natives,  who  find  in  its  vicinity  most  favorable 
haunts  for  fish  and  birds,  and  for  seal  and  reindeer.  The 
general  distance  of  the  inland  ice  from  the  sea  is  here  about 
sixty  miles,  which  is  the  distance  penetrated  by  Isortok  fiord. 
But  between  Isortok  fiord  and  Kangererdlugsuatsiak,  which 
penetrates  the  outskirts  to  an  equal  distance,  a  projection  of 
the  inland  ice  extends  to  within  about  fifteen  miles  of  the  sea. 

During  our  stay  at  Sukkertoppen  in  August  I  made  two 
expeditions  of  much  importance.  First  up  Isortok  fiord  to 
about  half  its  length,  and  again  to  the  projection  of  the  in- 
land ice  twenty-five  miles  north  entering  Ikamiut  fiord.  On 
both  these  expeditions  there  was  abundant  evidence  that 
glaciers  had  formerly  filled  the  fiord  up  certainly  to  a  height 
of  about  2,000  feet  and  extending  out  to  the  line  of  the  ocean 
shore.     In   both    Isortok  and    Ikamiut    fiords    the    glacial 


168  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE   MIRANDA. 

scratches  were  very  fresh  and  clear,  distinct  on  all  freshly 
exposed  surfaces  near  the  water-level,  while  upon  the  south 
side  of  Ikamiut  fiord,  facing  the  north,  the  glacial  groovings 
parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  fiord  were  very  distinct  up  to  a 
height  of  2,000  feet.  Upon  the  side  of  the  fiord  facing  the 
sun  the  alternations  of  heat  and  cold  had  caused  the  faces  of 
the  rock  to  crumble  to  such  an  extent  that  the  markings 
were  nearly  all  effaced  ;  but  upon  the  south  side  they  were 
still  very  distinct,  and  could  be  traced  up  the  fiord  to  the 
front  of  the  retreating  glacier. 

Now  that  the  main  glacier  has  retreated  for  a  distance  of 
about  eight  miles  up  the  whole  length  of  the  Ikamiut  fiord, 
local  glaciers  are  creeping  down  the  flanks  of  the  mountains 
at  right  angles  to  the  former  movement ;  and  one  glacier  of 
considerable  size  is  moving  directly  toward  the  front  of  the 
main  glacier  as  it  impinges  upon  the  eastern  side  end  of  the 
mountain,  thus  showing  how  complicated  are  the  movements 
accompanying  both  the  advance  and  the  retreat  of  the  great 
ice-sheet,  and  accounting  for  the  different  directions  in  which 
glacial  scratches  often  cross  the  same  rock  surface.  It  is 
evident  that  along  this  fiord  from  which  the  ice  has  retreated 
the  local  glaciers  are  furrowing  and  scratching  the  flanks  of 
the  mountain  at  right  angles  to  those  which  were  produced 
when  the  fiord  was  full  of  ice. 

The  glacier  coming  in  to  the  head  of  Ikamiut  fiord  bore 
upon  its  back  an  enormous  medial  moraine,  fed  chiefly  by 
branches  from  the  north.  This  extended  back  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  see,  or  until  it  was  concealed  by  the  freshly  fallen 
snows.  For  the  first  five  miles  back  from  the  front  this 
moraine  was  fully  half  a  mile  wide,  and  contained  many 
angular  boulders  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter. 
Mingled  with  these,  and  with  the  sand,  mud,  and  gravel 
accompanying  them,  were  numerous  perfectly  rounded  pebbles 
a  few  inches  in  diameter,  showing  the  vigor  of  the  superglacial 


GLACIAL   OBSERVATIONS.  169 

streams  which  had  doubtless  borne  them  along  from  the 
distant  interior.  With  so  large  a  moraine  upon  the  ice  one 
would  expect  to  find  corresponding  moraines  in  the  area  from 
which  the  ice  had  melted  off;  but  their  absence  is  readily 
accounted  for  by  the  great  depth  of  the  fiord,  and  from  the 
fact  that  the  moraine  was  very  nearly  in  the  middle  of  the 
glacier,  which  was  here  about  five  mile  wide.  The  fiord  is 
capacious  enough  to  swallow  all  the  material  which  the  glacier 
has  vomited  into  it. 

Some  years  ago,  when  Nordenskiold  visited  the  inland  ice, 
a  good  deal  was  said  about  the  dust  which  he  found  scattered 
over  the  surface,  and  which  he  surmised  might  be  of  meteoric 
origin.  Dr.  Hoist,  however,  found  similar  material  collected 
in  considerable  thickness  over  the  margin  of  the  ice  all  along 
southern  Greenland,  and  ascertained,  upon  analysis,  that  it 
was  simply  dust  blown  from  the  mountains  to  the  outskirts, 
thus  furnishing  a  more  prosaic  explanation  of  the  phe- 
nomenon. The  fact  that  Nansen  found  nothing  like  kryo- 
konite  in  the  interior  of  Greenland  confirms  the  conclu- 
sion of  Ilolst,  as  did  our  own  observations  upon  the  Ikamiut 
glacier,  which  was  covered  with  this  dust,  as  we  estimated,  to 
a  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  while  in  places  it  had  been 
washed  into  hollows  of  the  ice,  filling  them  up  to  a  depth  of 
several  inches. 

Another  evidence  of  the  former  extension  of  the  glaciers 
to  the  margin  of  the  ocean  appeared  in  numerous  light-col- 
ored granite  boulders  found  at  Sukkertoppen  and  other  places, 
where  the  rocks  were  of  an  entirely  different  character. 

One  of  the  most  puzzling  things  in  southern  Greenland  is 
the  existence  of  the  reindeer ;  for  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  the 
animal  could  reach  those  grazing-grounds  under  present  con- 
ditions. It  is  not  known  that  these  animals  make  extensive 
journeys  on  the  inland  ice,  or,  indeed,  that  they  venture  upon 
it  at  all.     Yet  this  projection  of  the  inland  ice  that  comes 


170  THE   LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE   MIKANDA. 

down  to  Isortok  fiord  would  seem  completely  to  isolate 
the  grazing-grounds  of  the  south  from  those  of  the  north. 
The  same  difficulty  arises  in  a  still  greater  degree  north 
of  Umenak  fiord,  where  for  hundreds  of  miles  there  is  now 
no  margin  of  land  uncovered  with  ice  along  the  whole  cir- 
cuit of  Melville  Bay  from  Upernavik  to  Cape  York ;  yet 
these  animals  are  found  in  great  numbers  north  of  Cape  York 
and  all  along  the  western  coast  south  of  Upernavik.  They 
seem  to  flourish  upon  the  abundant  mosses  and  creeping 
herbage  which  grow  in  the  protected  nooks  and  crannies  of 
all  that  inhospitable  region,  furnishing  the  most  dainty  food 
and  the  warmest  of  clothing  to  the  hunters  and  their 
families. 

The  only  way  in  which  this  distribution  of  the  reindeer 
can  be  accounted  for  would  seem  to  be  by  supposing  that  at  a 
former  time  there  was  a  broader  and  more  continuous  margin 
of  land  free  from  ice  than  there  is  now,  and  that  subsequently 
this  border  was  diminished  to  its  present  width  and  with  its 
present  interruptions,  isolating  different  herds  of  the  animal. 
There  are  two  suppositions  according  to  which  this  former 
enlargement  and  subsequent  limitations  of  the  border  may 
have  been  produced.  During  a  milder  period  the  ice  may 
have  at  one  time  retreated  farther  into  the  interior  than  now, 
allowing  free  passage  along  the  whole  border,  and  then  at  a 
subsequent  time  advanced  again,  as  it  evidently  has  done  even 
much  beyond  its  present  limits. 

The  more  likely  explanation  is  that  in  the  general  elevation 
of  the  northern  region  which  preceded  the  glacial  epoch 
period  a  considerable  border  of  the  shallow  ocean-bed  was 
lifted  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  affording  extensive  pas- 
turage and  free  passageway  all  down  the  coasts  of  Greenland 
and  of  Labrador,  thus  facilitating  the  distribution  of  both 
animals  and  plants  to  the  isolated  localities  in  southern  Green- 
land where  they  are  found,  and  making  it  possible  also  for  the 


GLACIAL  0BSEEVATI0N8.  171 

various  animals  and  plants  to  reach  Newfoundland  from  the 
shores  of  the  neighboring  continent. 

The  mystery  of  Greenland  and  of  the  great  ice  age  does  not 
grow  less  as  we  extend  our  study  of  the  facts,  both  past  and 
l^resent.  When  one  treads  tlie  solitary  wastes  of  the  vast  ice- 
fields of  Greenland,  they  seem  the  very  image  of  firmness  and 
immobility  ;  yet  he  has  but  to  put  his  ear  down  to  the  surface 
to  hear  the  busy  hum  of  innumerable  infinitesimal  forces 
which  are  all  conspiring  to  produce  in  their  ultimate  effects 
most  startling  results  ;  and  when  once  he  returns  to  the  head 
of  the  fiord,  where  the  great  glacier  enters  the  sea,  there  is 
the  most  startling  evidence  of  the  irresistible  power  of  these 
cumulative  forces 


THE   GREENLANDERS. 


BY  FREDEKICK  A.   COOK,  M.D. 


The  aborigines  of  nearly  all  parts  of  the  Arctic  regions 
know  no  other  name  for  themselves  than  "  Inuit/'  the  people. 
We  call  them  Eskimos,  or  Huskies,  but  these  names  are  as 
incorrect  as  the  term  Indians  applied  to  our  own  wild  prede- 
cessors. I  shall  here  consider  only  a  branch  of  the  Eskimo 
stem,  those  who  inhabit  the  Danish  possessions  of  Greenland, 
a  race  of  aboriginies  who  have  intermingled  and  intermar- 
ried freely  with  Scandinavians  for  nearly  two  centuries.  This 
hopeless  mixture  has  produced  a  hybrid  population  to  which 
we  can  properly  give  the  name  of  Greenlanders. 

The  Greenlanders  are  in  every  way  inferior  to  the  primi- 
tive stock,  isolated  hordes  of  which  still  remain  beyond  Mel- 
ville Bay  and  on  the  east  coast.  In  round  numbers,  the 
population  is  about  10,000,  and  for  the  past  twenty-five  years 
it  has  not  materially  increased  or  decreased. 

Their  present  territory  extends  from  Cape  Farewell  to  the 
base  of  Melville  Bay,  on  the  west  coast,  and  from  Cape  Fare- 
well to  Angmasalik  on  the  east  coast.  The  topography  of 
Greenland  is  such  that  only  the  coastal  fringe  is  habitable, 
and  since  the  inhabitants  obtain  food  and  clothing  principally 
from  the  denizens  of  the  sea,  their  habitations  are  not  fur 
removed  from  the  bleak  and  rocky  shores  of  the  relentless 
Arctic  seas.  There  are  several  large  indentations  along  the 
coast — arms  of  the  sea,  termed  fiords — some  a  hundred  or  more 
miles  in  length,  the  shores  of  which  usually  have  a  fair  share 
of  population  distributed  over  favored  spots  where  game  is 
abundant. 


THE   GREENLANDERS.  173 

The  climate  of  Greenland  varies  greatly  with  each  local- 
ly, tin  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  open  sea,  the  atmos- 
phere is  almost  constantly  charged  with  an  abundance  of  cold 
moisture.  Dense  fogs  are  common  throughout  the  year  ;  but 
near  the  heads  of  the  bays  and  fiords  the  opposite  atmospheric 
condition  prevails.  There  the  winds  are  mainly  from  the 
ice-covered  interior,  and  have  been  freed  of  moisture  by  cold  ; 
hence  dry  air,  few  fogs,  and,  in  summer,  a  very  agreeable 
temperature.  The  climate,  on  the  whole,  is  by  no  means 
disagreeable  to  Caucasians.  Indeed,  some  regions  above 
Disco  I^-land  would  form  most  excellent  sites  for  sanitariums ; 
for  the  effect  upon  nervous  patients  is  marvellous.  The 
natives,  however,  are  badly  fed,  poorly  clothed,  and  physi- 
cally ruined  by  the  misdirected  charity  of  the  Danish  Govern- 
ment. 

Contrary  to  the  general  belief,  the  people  of  Danish 
Greenland  are  less  able  to  withstand  the  rigors  of  the  Arctic 
atmosphere  than  are  Scandinavians.  Their  wild  elements  of 
life  have  been  largely  supplanted  by  ill-adapted,  semi-civil- 
ized habits  which  can  only  invite  disease  and  destro^  the 
people. 

The  soil,  when  it  exists,  is  fairly  fertile,  and  well  moistened. 
In  parts  of  the  southern  valleys  a  profusion  of  grass  is  found, 
and  occasionally  a  small  patch  of  stunted  forest  of  birch  and 
willows  and  other  hardy  trees,  which  grow  to  a  height  of  from 
one  to  six  feet.  The  agricultural  possibilities  are  extremely 
limited,  but  there  are  many  thousands  of  acres  which  would 
undoubtedly  yield  a  fair  harvest  if  properly  cultivated.  Next 
to  nothing  has  been  done  by  the  Greenlander  in  this  direc- 
tion, and  there  does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  effort  to  aid 
him.  Indeed,  the  most  fertile  lands  in  southern  Greenland 
are  almost  depopulated. 

The  animal  life  on  land  and  water  is  rapidly  vanishing. 
The  wholesale  slaughter  of  seals  on  the  coast  of  Newfound- 


174  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OP   THE    MIRAJiTDA. 

land  and  Labrador  is  partly  responsible  for  the  present  scarcity 
of  seals  ;  but  the  disappearance  of  reindeer,  foxes,  and  bears, 
and  the  diminishing  bird  life,  are  due  to  the  introduction  of  fire- 
arms, and  the  indiscriminate  destruction  that  always  follows 
improved  methods  of  killing  game.  With  a  fair  amount  of 
caution,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  even  the  present  wild 
animal  life  of  Greenland,  and  the  adjoining  waters,  would 
supply  a  much  greater  population.  If,  however,  the  people 
were  tauglit  to  domesticate  reindeer,  blue  foxes,  and  bears,  or 
import  other  fur-bearing  animals,  and  carefully  herd  them, 
there  would  be  no  limit  to  the  animal  life  that  might  thrive 
and  multiply. 

The  Greenlanders  encountered  on  the  voyage  of  the 
Miranda  were  very  fair  specimens  of  the  Danish  Greenland 
population,  their  physical  characteristics  ranging  from  a 
typical  Eskimo  to  a  true  Norseman.  They  varied  in  height 
from  4  feet  G  inches  to  5  feet  7  inches,  the  average  man  being 
about  5  feet  5  inches  higli,  and  the  woman  5  feet  2  inches. 
The  pure-blooded  Eskimo  is  about  three  inches  shorter. 

To  the  eye  of  the  observer,  the  Eskimo  is  at  once  classed 
in  a  racial  scale  midway  between  the  American  Indian  and 
the  Asiatic  Mongolian,  and  this  is  really  his  true  position. 
Further  acquaintance  and  more  careful  observation  will  lead 
an  investigator  into  many  puzzling  moods,  but  he  will  always 
look  at  the  Eskimos  as  a  branch  of  the  Mongolian  stem.  Their 
skeletons  are  the  reverse  of  those  of  the  negro.  Their  bones 
present  ill-defined  muscular  ridges,  short  appendages,  partic- 
ularly small  hands  and  feet.  The  skull  is  short  and  broad, 
the  forehead  very  slightly  retreating,  the  chin  mildly  pro- 
truding, and  the  molar  bones  are  prominent.  The  nose  is 
diminutivco 

In  studying  a  nude  Greenlander,  one  is  first  impressed 
with  the  abbreviated  appendages  which  the  bony  formation 
suggests,  a  great  deficiency  of  muscular  outline,  and  a  very 


THE   GREEIfLANDERS.  175 

prominent  abdomen.  The  men's  skin  is  deficient  in  hair-fol- 
licles, and  the  women's  is  almost  as  barren  as  a  bald  head. 
The  color  of  the  skin  varies  from  that  of  a  fairly  dark  Cauca- 
sian to  that  of  a  Malay.  The  average  Greenlander  is  perhaps 
darker  than  the  true  Eskimo.  The  skin  has  an  amber  or  a 
light-brown  tinge,  with  a  deep-seated  cardinal  flush,  easily 
sent  to  the  surface  of  all  parts  of  the  body.  Both  sexes  have 
very  coarse  and  straight  coal-black  hair.  To  this  rule  there 
are  very  few  exceptions,  and  they  indeed  are  very  odd — men 
with  blond  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  a  dark  skin,  and  to  add  to  the 
unnatural  aspect,  they  usually  have  light  beards.  They  are 
unsightly  and  repulsive,  but  the  few  women  of  the  same 
blond  type  are  often  remarkably  beautiful.  The  prevailing 
face  is  broad,  round,  and  beardless. 

The  chest  of  the  child  is  fairly  well  developed,  but  that 
of  the  adult  early  loses  its  elasticity.  The  muscles  of  the 
trunk  are  very  highly  developed,  particularly  the  erector 
muscles.  Both  men  and  women  have  great  ridges  of  mus- 
cular tissue  on  each  side  of  the  spine.  The  body  is  enveloped 
in  heavy  integument,  and  considerable  fatty  tissue  in  pros- 
perous seasons,  but  in  this  respect  they  have  an  inferior 
blanket  of  fat  when  compared  with  the  most  northern  Es- 
kimo. 

Physiologically,  the  Greenlanders  are  the  victims  of  cir- 
cumstances :  when  food  is  abundant,  nutrition  is  excellent 
and  digestion  is  good  ;  but  when  game  is  scarce,  they  seem  to 
consume  their  own  tissue,  and  become  thin  in  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  fasting.  They  possess  a  remarkable  ability  to 
subdue  hunger,  and  I  have  seen  men  and  women  subsist  on 
next  to  nothing  for  a  month  and  remain  happy  and  contented. 
Their  reproductive  functions  are  good,  but  the  infant  mortal- 
ity is  great. 

The  prevailing  maladies  are  principally  the  results  of 
Danish  sins,  the  frightful  inroads  of  present  diseases  being 


116  THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE   MIRAKDA. 

quite  recent ;  but  their  far-reaching  effect  bids  fair  to  destroy 
the  race.  To  the  credit  of  the  Danish  ofl&cials  it  sliould  be 
said,  that  they  have  tried  nobly  to  prevent  the  introduction  of 
foreign  infection,  but  the  result  has  been  disastrous.  The 
chief  cause  of  death  and  the  increasing  fires  of  misery  are  the 
germs  of  tuberculosis.  One  physician  told  me  that  about 
two-thirds  of  the  population  were  thus  afflicted  in  one  form  or 
another,  and  according  to  my  own  observations,  certainly  the 
majority  were  consumptive.  To  show  that  the  climate  is  not 
responsible  for  this,  we  have  only  to  refer  to  the  isolated 
Eskimo  tribes,  among  whom  the  disease  is  unknown.  Pleu- 
risy, pneumonia,  and  catarrh  are  common,  and  all  the  zymotic 
diseases  have  prevailed.  Skin  diseases  and  disorders  of  diges- 
tion are  very  uncommon,  while  victims  of  gunshot  wounds 
can  be  found  in  nearly  every  settlement.  Broken  and  frozen 
limbs,  death  from  land-slides,  snow-slides,  and  drowning 
are  frequent.  Venereal  diseases  are  almost  unknown.  The 
average  longevity  is  very  low,  but  Greenlanders  who  have 
reached  eighty  or  ninety  years  are  occasionally  found. 

The  most  interesting  psychological  characteristics  are  lack 
of  common  traits  of  character,  a  neutral  religious  aspect, 
though  taught  Christianity  for  more  than  a  century  and  a 
half  ;  great  amity  and  compassion,  a  lack  of  courage,  and  an 
almost  entire  absence  of  hate  and  vengeance.  Conscience,  if 
it  exists  at  all,  is  extremely  elastic.  The  intellectual  faculties 
are  poorly  developed,  except  such  as  enter  directly  into  their 
peculiar  life.  Attention  and  observation  are  often  found 
in  abnormal  proportions.  The  people  are  good  imitators, 
and  quick  in  making  deductions  and  conclusions,  but  their 
imagination,  contrary  to  what  might  be  expected  from  a 
people  living  through  long  months  of  darkness,  is  very  poor. 
The  Greenlander's  general  disposition  is  congenial,  friendly, 
honest,  and  affectionate,  but  his  self-esteem  is  very  low. 

The  language  is  a  somewhat  modified  Eskimo  tongue,  and 


THE   GREENLANDERS.  177 

is  of  the  Anglutinated  type.  Its  construction,  though  it 
seems  at  first  sight  simple,  is  extremely  complicated.  Many 
Danes  who  have  married  native  women  and  have  spent  a 
lifetime  in  Greenland  have  only  gained  a  working  knowledge 
of  the  native  speech.  The  difficulty  in  studying  it  is  centred 
in  the  Eskimos'  peculiar  methods  of  constructing  and  com- 
pounding words  which  will  convey  an  active  meaning  ;  hence, 
each  word  is  a  complete  sentence,  or  a  very  large  part  of  it,  or 
perliaps  a  single  word  and  a  series  of  gestures  convey  a  lengthy 
idea. 

The  question  of  language  is  a  very  long  one,  and  from  a 
scientific  standpoint  is  very  interesting ;  but  it  is  difficult  to 
analyze  it  without  an  overwhelming  mass  of  technical  details. 
The  language  is  well  adapted  to  the  peculiar  needs  of  the 
Eskimo  people,  but  wanting  in  words  to  express  advanced 
sentiments.  It  is  rich  and  often  extremely  unique  in  expres- 
sions for  seal-catching,  dog-driving,  blubber-eating,  and  animal 
sentiments,  but  quite  deficient  in  definite  expressions  or 
accurate  comparisons  for  things  in  general.  Everything  is 
either  plenty  or  scarce,  big  or  little,  very  great  or  insignificant. 
There  seems  to  be  no  intermediate  scale. 

Morals  are  largely  matters  of  convenience  :  one  rarely  en- 
counters very  wicked  natives,  and  if  judged  from  our  stand- 
point, even  more  rarely  very  good  natives.  They  are  usually 
peaceful  and  mild-tempered,  but  jealousy  or  an  infringement 
upon  personal  liberty  arouses  their  worst  passions.  When  a 
person  behaves  so  badly  that  the  community  can  no  longer 
tolerate  his  presence  he  is  forbidden  to  enter  the  huts,  can- 
not share  the  food,  or  hold  any  intercourse  with  the  others. 
Nevertheless,  so  long  as  he  threatens  no  bodily  harm,  and 
displays  no  murderous  intent,  little  attention  is  paid  to  him. 
He  is  ignored,  and  becomes  a  social  outcast,  which  in  this 
state  of  society  is  worse  than  death  ;  it  is  the  most  effective 
punishment  that  an  Eskimo  can  receive. 


178  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

The  virtues  of  the  men  are  very  much  magnified  at  the 
expense  of  the  women,  and  the  wife  regards  her  husband  as 
her  superior  lord  and  master.  Few  men  are  jealous  of  their 
wives,  but  most  wives  are  jealous  of  their  husbands.  The 
natural  inbred  admiration  for  men  causes  the  women  to  treat 
all  men  affectionately.  In  this  respect  they  resemble  Oriental 
women,  anticipating  man^s  every  desire,  studying  very  care- 
fully his  needs  and  his  follies.  Chastity  is  quite  unknown, 
and  fidelity  is  uncommon  ;  men  treat  the  failings  of  the 
women  with  indifference — wives  are  exchanged  and  new 
attachments  are  made  as  a  most  natural  and  necessary  func- 
tion. Both  men  and  women  are  prized  not  for  beauty,  phys- 
ical force,  or  wealth,  but  for  their  ingenuity  in  the  arts  of 
life.  There  is  among  them  a  large  idle  and  non-productive 
class,  but  this  is  not  criminal  or  dangerous,  as  is  the  rule 
among  us. 

The  product  of  the  hunt  furnishes  the  natives  with  food, 
fuel,  and  clothing.  The  Danes  supply  them  with  some  un- 
necessaries,  such  as  tobacco,  coffee,  sugar,  salt,  superannuated 
biscuits,  cloth,  etc.  ;  but  the  people  would  be  much  happier 
and  healthier  without  these  things.  This  is  particularly  true 
of  tobacco  and  coffee,  for  there  seems  to  be  something  in  the 
atmosphere  which  forbids  the  use  of  these  stimulants  and 
makes  them  quite  as  destructive  to  ambition,  respectability, 
and  health  as  alcohol  does  among  our  workmg  classes. 

At  their  feasts  there  is  much  eating  and  merrymaking,  but 
the  time  devoted  to  them  is  brief,  and  the  fun  never  ends  in 
fighting  ;  but  there  is  sometimes  an  exchange  of  wives,  and 
more  or  less  free  love.  Their  life  is  essentially  one  of  period- 
ical wealth  and  poverty,  of  boundless  engorgement  with  alter- 
nate starvation,  but  they  move  about  from  day  to  day,  and 
from  month  to  month,  with  no  care  for  the  future — happy 
alike  in  famine  and  in  luxury. 

My  companions,  Messrs.  Walsh,  Dewell,  and  others,  have 


THE   GREENLANDEES.  179 

mentioned  other  interesting  traits  of  these  people,  which  they 
have  observed  in  their  own  way.  The  natives,  like  the  land- 
scape, appeal  differently  to  every  imagination.  The  unique 
and  quaint  little  characters,  and  the  bewildering,  strong, 
relentless  scenes,  incite  the  mind,  but  throw  it  back  upon 
itself.  They  inspire  the  imagination,  without  satisfying  its 
curiosity.  Every  intruder  into  Greenland  solitudes,  and  every 
student  of  the  people  and  the  animals,  has  found  the  life  and 
the  air  charged  with  interest,  and  every  inquiring  mind  has 
been  filled  with  an  endless  mirage  of  fascinating  perspectives. 
There  is  here  a  clear  view  of  primeval  nature,  seen  through 
the  crystal  lens  of  rarefied  air.  We  have  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  prehistoric  life,  born  of  an  easier  study  of  simple  nature, 
in  its  wildest  elements.  The  method  and  the  time  may  be 
forgotten,  but  the  inspiration  and  the  place  will  ever  remain 
in  our  memory. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  future  will  bring  new  arts,  an 
extermination  of  diseases,  and  a  better  adaptability  to  the 
stormy  conditions,  to  these  unfortunate  people.  They  cannot 
long  remain  isolated  from  civilization,  because  they  are 
perched  on  the  shores  of  the  world's  most  interesting  land- 
scape, which  will  always  be  an  increasing  point  of  interest. 
The  coastal  fringe  of  Greenland,  with  its  people  and  its  life, 
is  the  most  sublime  and  magnificent  cyclorama  of  nature  ;  its 
superb  mountains,  towering  terraced  clitfs,  chaotic  abysses, 
great  sheets  of  spotless  snow,  endless  stretches  of  glacial  ice, 
and  numberless  silvery  threads  of  winding  waters  have  no 
equal.  It  is  a  region  of  incandescence  in  summer  and  glow- 
ing blackness  in  winter.  It  fills  the  soul  of  man  with  awful 
despair  and  violent  delights,  extremes  which,  like  the  coastal 
mountains,  are  separated  by  great  gaps. 


A  GREENLAND  CEMETERY. 


BY  JAMES  D.   DEWELL. 


With  Melville  Bay  as  the  ob- 
jective point,  I  boarded  the  steam- 
shij)  Miranda  July  7,  1894.  After 
many  delays  caused  by  fog,  col- 
lision with  an  iceberg,  and  striking 
a  hidden  reef,  we  anchored  in  the 
little  harbor  of  Sukkertoppen 
(Sugar-loaf),  Greenland,  in  early 
August.  Sukkertoppen  is  a  set- 
tlement of  four  hundred  Eskimos, 
under  the  Danish  flag,  a  race  with- 
out a  history  or  a  nationality,  a 
people  of  Asiatic  caste,  whose  pro- 
genitors were  probably  from  a  warmer  clime.  How  came  this 
peculiar  people  to  inhabit  a  frozen  region  can  only  be  sur- 
mised. The  belief  is  that  in  ages  past  their  ancestors  were 
forced  north  by  tribal  wars,  probably  before  the  date,  of  the 
English  Channel,  and 
thence  through  some 
emergency  reached 
the  north  coast  of 
(xreenland,  when  that 
portion  of  the  earth^s 
surface  was  more  tem- 
perate than  now.  As 
the  cycles  of  time 
rolled  along,  and  the 
ice-fiend  claimed  pos-  n^.  i._cemetery  looking  north. 


A   QREENLAND    CEMETERY. 


181 


session  of  all  that  is  now  known  as  the  great  ice-cap,  this  remnant 
of  a  once  important  tribe  worked  their  way  down  the  coast  to 
Davis  Straits,  where  they  now  struggle  in  poverty  lor  existence. 
While  waiting  for  relief,  a  matter  of  two  weeks,  we  exam- 
ined the  settlement  and  its  surroundings.     My  first  thought 


mn 


jl^\^''''^ 


NO.   2.— CEMETERY    LOOKING    SOUTH. 

was,  in  case  of  death  where  might  we  be  buried  ?  but  in  any 
event  I  desired  to  see  the  place  where  the  Sukkertoppeners 
buried  their  dead.  Their  method  of  burial  is  not  as  they 
would  have  it  if  living  in  a  more  favored  clime,  but  is  caused 
by  the  conditions  of  climate  and  surroundings.  Disposition 
of  the  dead  has  been  from  remote  timss  mostly  a  grave  sub- 
ject. The  ancients  had  a  way  of  embalming  and  depositing 
their  dead  in  tombs  ;  hence  the  mummies.  The  origin  of 
mummification  in  Egypt  has  been  much  discussed,  but  it  has 
been  proved  that  the  preservation  of  the  human  body  was 
deemed  essential  to  the  corporeal  resurrection  of  the  dead. 


183 


THE    LAST    CKUISE    OF   THE    MIKANDA. 


Cremation  in  a  rude  form  among  certain  other  ancient  peoples 
was  also  practised.  To-day  in  India  some  deposit  their  dead 
in  the  water,  and  the  Parsees  leave  their  dead  on  the  roof  of 
a  mausoleum  or  chapel,  where  the  cormorants  or  birds  of 

prey  eat  the 
flesh  from  the 
corpse.  In  other 
portions  of  the 
globe  the  dead 
are  placed  in 
trees  or  on  poles. 
It  remains  for 
•the  poor  Eski- 
mos of  Green- 
land  to  show  to 
the  civilized 
world  that  the 
dead  may  be 
buried  without 
even  digging 
a  hole  in  the 
ground. 

In  Greenland,  cremation,  or  earth-covering,  or  embalming, 
is  utterly  impossible,  and,  owing  to  the  climate,  quite  unne- 
cessary. The  views  of  the  cemetery  at  Sukkertoppen  which 
accompany  this  article  were  photographed  by  the  writer  in 
August,  1894.  No.  1  represents  the  cemetery  looking  north 
up  the  fiord,  with  the  great  ice-cap  and  snow-mountains  in  the 
distance,  forty  miles  away  or  more.  No.  2  shows  the  ceme- 
tary  looking  south  toward  Davis  Straits.  It  is  a  large  plot 
in  a  cafion,  the  rock  projections  exhibiting  deep  glacial 
marks.  No.  3  shows  a  party  opening  graves  to  collect  speci- 
mens for  scientific  purposes.  No.  4  shows  wooden  enclosures, 
and  No.  5  the  Lutheran  church.     All  of  the  Eskimos  south 


No.  3.— OPENING    A   GRAVE. 


A    GREENLAND    CEMKTEKY. 


183 


of  Melville  Bay  are  Lutherans,  having  been  Christianized 
many  decades  ago  by  Danish  missionaries.  I  found  that  they 
were  poor  in  all  things  except  good  nature,  and  were  espe- 
cially poor  as  to  a  suitable  ground  wliereupon  to  deposit  their 
dead,  there  being  no  soil  or  vegetation  in  all  that  section. 
Our  two  weeks'  stay  gave  us  ample  opportunity  to  visit  the 
natives  in  their  homes,  which  are  simply  squalid  huts,  but  no 
chance  to  see  a  funeral.  However,  I  visited  the  cemetery, 
and  found  that  as  there  are  no  trees  there  can  be  no  wood, 
and  consequently,  no  coffins.  The  only  wood  is  either 
brought  from  Copenhagen  or  caught  from  the  drift.     The 


'^^ii Fill II Hi  ill  I  . 


No.  4.— WOODEN   ENCLOSURES. 


dead,  wrapped  in  sealskin,  are  simply  laid  on  the  surface  of 
the  rocks.  (Hair  seal  is  the  mainstay  of  the  natives  :  skin 
for  clotiies,  flesh  for  food,  fat  for  light  and  heat.)  The  body 
Ij  then  covered  to  the  depth  of  jierhaps  ten  inches  with  moss 


184 


THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRANDA. 


scraped  from  the  sides  of  a  friendly  rock,  over  which  are 
mounded  stones  of  various  sizes  to  keep  the  body  from  wild 
beasts,  and  serve  as  a  monument.  In  examining  illustration 
No.  3   the  reader  will  observe   that   the   graves   are   simply 

-  stone  mounds.  We  found  in 
all  of  the  old  graves  only  skulls, 
securing  five  in  good  condition 
in  one  mound,  and  no  other 
bones.  A  fine  collection  was 
gathered,  but  it  went  down 
with  the  Miranda. 

There  are  exceptions  to  the 
average    mound,    as    may    be 
noted    by    illustra- 
tion 4.    The  Danes, 
who  are  in  control 
of  all  the  Greenland 
coast  below  Melville 
>iiy,  have  a  wooden 
enclosure  surround- 
ing their  graves,  the 
wood  being  brought 
from  Denmark;  and 
I  .V  '  ^^^Bf^ijM^^^^^ wooden  crosses 

Hp  "'^^I^^&IsHIH^H  mark  the  graves  of 

the  more  favored  or 

No.  5.— LUTHERAN    CHURCH.  i      ,  ,  ,  .  «  ,. 

better  portion  of  the 
Eskimos.  All  the  other  graves,  filled  with  the  poor, 
simple  children  of  the  frozen  north,  have  no  other  monu- 
ment than  a  heap  of  stones,  which  in  a  later  day  is 
overturned  by  some  explorer  in  search  of  human  frames 
in  the  interest  of  science.  This  brief  article  cannot  give 
the  reader  my  thoughts  fully  as  I  contemplated  this  God's 
acre.      Here    are    the    bones    of    human    beings,    some    of 


A    GREENLAND    CEMETERY.  185 

them,  perhaps,  descendants  of  kings  from  southern  climes  in 
centuries  past,  and  beyond  tlie  memory  or  history  of  the  liv- 
insf.  It  was  noticeable  that  the  mounds  exhumed  brought  to 
light  mostly  skulls,  furnishing  evidence  of  antiquity,  as  being 
probably  of  those  who  died  before  the  Lutheran  missionaries 
landed  here.  Yet  the  method  of  burial  remains  as  before, 
even  though  the  present  generation  is  blessed  with  religious 
rites.  The  people  on  the  western  coast  below  Melville  Bay 
are  all  nominally  Christians,  and  dispose  of  their  dead  in  the 
same  manner  as  at   Sukkertoppen. 

7t  has  been  frequently  asked,  "Why  do  the  Eskimos 
remain  in  the  frozen  region  ?"  The  answer  is  plain  and 
simple.  They  know  not  of  the  outside  world,  and  withal 
have  neither  the  desire  nor  facilities  to  leave  their  bleak 
and  desolate  habitation.  To  bring  such  a  race  to  a  warmer 
climate  and  to  civilization  would  insure  its  entire  extinction. 
The  future  of  this  side-tracked  race  can  only  be  imagined. 
My  opinion  is  that  ere  many  decades  it  will  become  extinct. 


THE  ESKIMOS'  TEETH,  AND  OTHER  NOTES. 


BY  K.  O.   STEBBIXS,   D.D.S. 


To  VISIT  the  far  north,  for  the 
purpose  of  studying  the  character 
of  the  Eskimos,  I  joined  Dr.  Cook's 
Arctic  expedition  of  1894. 

Although  our  vessel  was  ahan- 
boned  at  sea,  and  all  our  baggage 
and  curios,  such  as  skin  and  bone 
trinkets,  clothing,  made  by  the 
natives  of  furs  and  raw  hide ;  eider- 
down from  the  duck,  and  other 
bird  skins,  together  with  imple- 
ments of  the  chase,  the  kayak, 
oomiak, and sledge-snowshoes,  etc., 
were  all  lost,  the  memory  of  those  curious  little  people  is 
fresh  in  our  minds,  and  not  likely  to  be  obliterated  by  time. 
Nor  can  we  forget  the  grand  mountains  of  rock,  void  of  earth 
and  shrub,  the  beautiful  fiords,  dotted  here  and  there  with 
many  islands,  mere  rocky  peaks,  penetrating  from  the  fear- 
ful depths  below;  the  eternal  ice-cup  of  that  glacial  continent, 
with  its  mighty  rivers  of  ice,  forcing  their  way  down  through 
the  rocky  cailons,  depositing  great  masses  of  ice  in  the  fiords, 
with  a  crash  and  splash  that  can  be  heard  for  miles. 

The  waters  of  the  fiords  seem  to  afford  a  great  quantity  of 
nutritious  seaweed  and  small  fish,  upon  which  feed  the  millions 
of  birds — gulls,  ducks,  and  geese.  The  birds  nest  so  close 
together  along  the  crags  of  the  rocks  that  they  look  like 
patches  of  snow. 


THE    ESKIMOS'   TEETH,    AND   OTHER    NOTES.  187 

The  Eskimos  are  very  fond  of  eggs,  and  will  sometimes 
lay  in  a  supply  for  the  long  Arctic  night.  This  is  done  by 
stripping  the  secretions  out  of  the  gut  of  a  seal  and  refilling 
with  the  eggs,  which  they  break  and  pour  in,  tying  up  the  end 
of  the  gut.  It  resembles  a  gigantic  frankfurter,  and  freezes 
solid  when  the  cold  weather  sets  in.  The  natives  break  off 
bits  with  their  teeth,  swallowing  them  uncooked  with  a  relish. 
While  camping  out  on  the  moss-covered  rocky  banks  of  a 
river  which  runs  into  one  of  the  fiords,  I  caught  with  one  lit- 
tle artificial  fly  two  hundred  and  twenty  salmon-trout,  vary- 
ing in  length  from  six  to  eighteen  inches,  landing  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two  in  one  day  from  a  pool  formed  in  the  bend 
of  the  river,  beyond  which  the  water  ran  very  swiftiy.  Al- 
lowing the  fly  to  disappear  in  several  feet  of  water,  I  found 
the  fish  to  be  quite  game,  as  often  a  small  one  would  make 
you  think  a  ten-pounder  had  taken  hold.  All  hands  ate  the 
fish,  which  were  fried  in  a  skillet  over  an  oil-stove,  with 
great  relish,  except  Dr.  Cramer,  who  did  not  care  for  fish,  and 
as  we  were  short  of  bread  and  limited  to  one  piece,  I  gladly 
forfeited  my  portion  in  favor  of  the  Doctor,  and  filled  in 
on  fish. 

While  returning  to  Sukkertoppen  in  an  old,  leaky  boat, 
loaded  with  the  tents,  cooking  utensils,  and  camp  traps, 
together  with  three  Eskimos  to  row  while  I  handled  the  tiller, 
I  discovered  that  a  few  crackers,  my  supply  of  provender,  had 
become  soaked  in  dirty  bilge- water.  After  sitting  in  a  cramped 
position  for  sixteen  hours,  cold,  stiff,  and  damp,  from  the 
spray  of  the  waves,  which  were  tossing  our  boat  around  in  a 
lively  manner,  I  was  getting  pretty  hungry,  but  could  not 
make  up  my  mind  to  tackle  the  dirty  crackers.  Presently  I 
noticed  one  of  the  Eskimos  eating  raw  salmon  that  had  been 
cleaned  and  partially  dried  on  the  rocks  before  leaving  camp. 
It  was  of  a  rich  color,  and  looked  very  tempting.  I  asked 
for  a  piece.     He  pulled  out  a  salmon,  or  rather  half  of  one. 


188  THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

from  an  old  filthy  sealskin,  which  is  a  garment  worn  by  the 
Eskimos  in  stormy  weather  and  used  as  a  travelling-bag  when 
off  duty.  I  trailed  the  fish  overboard  (which  caused  my  com- 
panion to  smile),  and  then  let  it  dry,  and  began  to  pick  at  it. 
It  was  not  bad  ;  in  fact,  I  thought  it  very  good  before  I  had 
eaten  the  entire  piece  (about  three  pounds),  and  realized  how 
easy  it  would  be  to  fall  into  the  habit  of  eating  the  uncooked 
food  as  the  Eskimos  do. 

Before  leaving  New  York  I  purchased  ninety  dozen  Seed's 
dry  plates  for  my  camera  from  E.  W.  Newcomb  &  Co.,  and 
twenty  boxes  of  their  developing  powders.  On  our  trip  north, 
in  Labrador  and  Greenland,  I  had  exposed  three  hundred 
and  ninety-two  plates  and  developed  them  on  shipboard,  mak- 
ing a  dai'k  room  of  our  stateroom. 

The  loss  of  these  plates,  of  course,  I  regret  very  much  ;  but 
the  greatest  loss  to  me  was  the  casts  I  had  taken,  twenty-eighl 
in  number,  of  the  Eskimo  teeth,  from  childhood  to  old  age. 
Duplicates  of  these  casts  I  expected  to  place  with  others 
I  have  in  the  National  Medical  Museum,  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  as  there  they  could  always  have  been  referred  to  in  the 
scientific  study  of  the  teeth. 

Years  ago  it  was  reported  by  sailors  that  the  Eskimos  had 
double  teeth  all  round — that  is,  the  front  teeth  looked  the 
same  as  the  back  ones.  It  did  not  take  me  long  to  discover 
the  reason  of  this  report.  Upon  observation,  as  a  dentist,  I 
ascertained  that  the  incisor  teeth,  also  the  cuspids  and  bicus- 
pids, were  worn  off  blunt.  As  these  teeth  were  large  and 
prominent,  they  did  not  look  unlike  molar  teeth. 

The  older  natives  live  entirely  on  fish  and  flesh  uncooked, 
and  they  do  not  chew  their  food,  but  swallow  it  like  a  dog. 
This  accounts  for  the  way  their  teeth,  as  a  rule,  articulate, 
square  on  the  end  of  the  incisor  teeth,  the  molar  teeth  not 
being  used  at  all  as  masticators.  In  preparing  bird  and  other 
skins,  the  natives  chew  or  work  the  skins  between  their  front 


THE   ESKIMOS*  TEETH,    AlfD   OTHER   N"OTES.  189 

teeth,  sucking  out  the  oil,  tearing  off  bits  of  flesh  and  fat, 
and  making  the  skin  very  soft  and  pliable.  As  their  teeth 
are  rather  soft,  more  like  ivory  in  color  and  texture,  the 
manipulating  of  the  skins  wears  them  off  a  great  deal.  Very 
little  decay  was  observed  in  the  mouths  of  the  original  natives. 
The  present  generation  of  Greenlanders,  or  Danish  Eskimos, 
since  the  introduction  of  the  cook-stove  and  breadstuffs  by 
the  Danish  Government,  cook  most  of  their  food.  Their  teeth 
are  more  brittle,  and  the  incisor  teeth  are  not  worn  off  so 
much,  for  their  molar  teeth  are  used  to  masticate  the  cooked 
food,  while  the  aborigines  subsisted  entirely  on  raw  food. 
Their  upper  incisor  teeth  project  over  the  lower  ones.  Decay 
Avas  observed  in  the  six-year  or  first  molar  teeth,  while  not  a 
sign  of  decay  was  discovered  in  any  other  teeth  of  the  same 
mouth. 

Some  of  the  present  generation  are  also  fond  of  raw  food 
a<3  well  as  cooked.  While  fishing  up  the  fiord,  a  little  fellow 
asked  if  he  could  eat  one  of  the  fish  I  had  caught.  I  gave 
him  one  just  taken  off  my  hook  :  he  held  it  by  the  head,  bit 
off  a  piece  and  swallowed  it,  then  another,  until  the  fish 
stopped  wriggling  and  he  had  eaten  or  swallowed  the  whole. 

The  eyes  of  the  women  resembled  those  of  the  Chinese. 
They  do  their  hair  up  very  tightly  on  the  top  of  their  head, 
and  always  wear  it  in  the  same  way,  from  childhood.  This 
draws  the  skin  very  tight  over  the  temples,  and  as  they 
squint  at  the  glare  of  the  sun  during  the  long  Arctic  day, 
their  eyes  grow  on  a  slant.  The  men  have  small,  sharp  round 
eyes,  and  their  hair  hangs  long  and  loose  about  the  head 
and  face. 


THE  FLORA  OF  SOUTH  GREENLAND. 


BY  SAMUEL  P.  ORTH. 


On  the  bare  rocks  and  bleak  hills 
of  the  far  north  everything  that  has 
life  is  of  peculiar  interest.  The 
beauties  of  the  Arctic  flora  can  no- 
where be  surpassed  in  daintiness 
and  exquisite  tintings.  There  is  no 
useless  flaunting  of  colors  or  gaudi- 
ness,  but  a  pure,  transparent  tint 
which  brush  cannot  reproduce. 

There  are  several  circumstances 
which  combine  to  make  the  floral 
life  of  Greenland  very  interesting  and 
simple.  The  short  summer  makes 
it  necessary  for  all  the  species  to  bloom  at  one  time,  there 
being  practically  no  succession  of  flowers.  The  soil  is  shallow, 
thus  affording  little  opportunity  for  sprouting.  The  pure 
atmosphere,  free  from  dust,  contributing  so  much  to  Arctic 
landscape  and  sunset,  tells  also  on  the  pure  colors  of  the 
flowers.  The  long  day  and  very  short  night  of  the  summer 
make  a  double  share  of  the  sun's  actinic  rays  possible  to  the 
plants.  This  accounts  for  the  rapid  growth  of  A^egetation. 
All  these  circumstances  create  the  beautiful  delicate  forms 
which  so  surprised  us  all  on  our  mountain  climbiugs. 

Everywhere  along  the  coast  lichens  and  mosses  share  their 

kints  with  the  landscape.     The  peculiar  dull-red  glow  of  the 

islands  and  rocks  is  caused  by  a  moss-like  fungus  covering  the 

ocks   everywhere.     Farther  in  the  interior,  lichens   thrive 


THE   FLORA    OF   SOUTH    GREENLAND.  1()1 

in  myriad  species.  Never  before  had  I  seen  such  a  profusion 
of  fungi  as  on  those  cold  Greenland  rocks.  In  the  pools 
of  the  valleys  mosses  thrive  most  luxuriantly.  Especially 
beautiful  is  the  sphagnum,  with  its  lighter  tints,  growing 
with  dark-red  varieties  in  the  crystal  pools  of  mountain 
streams. 

But  the  phanerogams  are  the  most  interesting  to  the  or- 
dinary visitor.  Nowhere  can  the  persistence  of  life  be  more 
closely  studied  than  in  these  bleak  regions.  Wherever  there 
is  an  inch  of  soil,  in  every  crack  or  crevice,  thrives  a  plant. 
From  the  deep  valley  to  the  snow-line,  nature  has  prepared  a 
succession  of  surprises  for  the  flower-lover.  In  the  lowlands, 
pink  saxifrages  and  yellow  buttercups  thrive  with  our  own 
dwarf  cornel  {Cornus  canadensis)  and  the  pretty  gold-foil 
{Cojjtis  trifolia).  The  grass  plots  are  dotted  with  the  golden 
Arctic  dandelion  {Taraxacum  arcticum).  Fringing  the  hill- 
sides, grow  the  forests  of  willows  and  birches  {Betula  nara). 
The  willow  is  the  largest  Arctic  shrub.  Several  varieties 
abound,  all  common,  all  trailing  around  the  ground  or  over 
rocks.  The  largest  one  I  measured  was  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  in  diameter  and  seven  feet  high,  including  four  feet  of 
roots.  With  the  willows  and  dandelions  grows  the  common 
polygonum,  perhaps  the  most  abundant  of  Arctic  plants,  and 
the  banks  of  the  streams  are  lined  with  chickweed  (Cerasfitiv  ) 
which,  in  all  of  its  several  varieties,  has  exceptionallv  large 
flowers. 

Farther  up  the  mountain-side,  in  the  lighter  soil,  beauti- 
ful red  primroses  and  delicate  bluebells  greet  one,  while  in 
sandy  spots  the  gorgeous  red  stonecrop  (Sedum  rhodiola) 
presents  a  startling  contrast  to  the  usual  blues  and  whites. 
This  stonecrop  is  the  most  extravagantly  colored  flower  of  the 
North.  It  is  often  seen  clinging  to  the  perpendicular  rocks, 
hundreds  of  feet  above  the  water-line,  as  you  row  along  the 
fiords. 


19a  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

The  blueberry  was  perhaps  the  most  welcome  plant  found. 
I  saw  liere,  bud,  blossom,  green  and  ripe  fruit,  all  on  one  bush. 
It  is  scraggy  and  low,  but  the  ripe  berries  tasted  so  civilized  ! 
In  all  books  of  Arctic  travel  one  reads  so  much  of  the  Arctic 
poppy,  with  its  flaunting  yellow  petals.  Naturally  I  searched 
for  the  plant,  which  is  so  abundant  farther  north,  but 
I  found  only  one  plant,  with  a  bare  seed  capsule,  the  petals 
having  fallen  off. 

Rarely  one  finds  a  low  juniper  with  green  berries,  the 
climate  being  adverse  to  the  ripening  of  the  fruit.  Grasses 
are  confined  to  a  few  species.  A  small,  pretty  festuca  is  the 
most  common,  making  a  pretty  lawn  on  every  level  plot,  and 
often  appearing  in  feathery  tufts  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks. 
A  large,  barley-like  grass,  growing  along  the  sandy  beaches,  is 
the  largest  grass  found.     It  grows  about  two  feet  high. 

Of  special  interest  is  the  angelica,  thriving  luxuriantly  in 
the  ravines  and  lowlands,  in  sheltered  places.  It  is  the  only 
vegetable  known  to  the  Eskimo's  palate,  and  is  gathered  in 
large  quantities,  but  never  preserved  for  winter  use.  It  grows 
about  eighteen  inches  high,  and  has  the  peculiar  flavor  which 
characterizes  so  many  umbelliferae  and  makes  them  a  favorite 
dish  with  us. 

There  are  but  few  varieties  of  ferns,  all  growing  in 
sheltered  places,  behind  rocks.  The  commonest  is  a  pfceris, 
and  occasionally  one  sees  an  ophiaglassnm  and  aspidium. 

It  was  intensely  interesting  to  note  the  gradual  change  of 
flowers  as  we  stopped  at  various  places  along  the  coast.  Our 
own  flora  was  little  modified  at  Cape  Breton — only  the  flowers 
were  about  three  weeks  later  than  in  southern  New  York. 
Newfoundland  added  several  new  species,  including  the  pretty 
forget-me-not,  while  Labrador's  flora  was  entirely  new,  and 
quite  introductory  to  the  Greenland  flora. 

Of  the  Labrador  plants,  none  of  us  will  forget  the  "  cur- 
lew-berry "  wnich  grew  everywhere  so  abundantly  (found  in 


THE   FLORA   OF   SOUTH   GREENLAND.  193 

Greenland  also),  and  the  **  bake-apples '' which  so  refreshed 
us  on  our  homeward  journey  when  we  stopped  at  Punch  Bowl. 
As  the  collections  were  all  lost,  it  is  impossible  to  give  an 
accurate  list  of  the  plants  collected  in  Greenland,  though  I  had 
prepared  a  list  of  those  found  in  Labrador.  A  safe  estimate 
made  from  my  notes  is  the  following  :  Phanerogams,  eighty, 
including  five  graminae  and  ten  cyperaceae.  Of  the  pteri- 
dophytes,  I  found  one  equisetum  and  three  filices — making  a 
total  of  ninty-eight  plants,  excluding  the  mosses,  fungi,  and 
lichens,  of  which  there  are  many  dozens  of  species.  The  most 
complete  works  on  the  flora  of  South  Greenland  are  the 
Danish  Government  reports,  which  are  often  quite  full  and 
interesting. 


NOTE    ON    THE    INSECTS    OF  SUKKER- 
TOPPEN. 


BY  L.   J.  W.   JOYNER. 


Owiis'G  to  the  loss  (together  with 
note-books)  of  my  collection  of  in- 
sects, of  which  a  very  fair  number 
had  been  captured,  no  attempt  at 
any  list,  much  less  a  classification, 
can  be  made.  The  field  appeared  to 
offer  good  opportunity  to  the  en- 
tomologist during  the  prevalence  of 
the  brief  heat  of  summer.  Though 
coleopterous  insects  were  expected 
in  some  abundance,  a  most  careful 
search  revealed  only  a  few  speci- 
mens. On  the  other  hand,  many 
species  of  the  order  Diptera  simply  swarmed,  and  more  than 
one  species  of  the  genus  Culex  ;  but  a  single  species  of  mos- 
quito, considering  the  swarms  in  which  they  occurred,  would 
have  been  quite  sufficient  to  arouse  the  keenest  interest  of  an 
average  or  casual  observer.  Acting  on  the  principle  of  "  Live 
and  let  live,^'  I  always  make  a  point  of  never  disturbing  a 
mosquito  at  his  meal  ;  but  in  Greenland  I  was  absolutely  brutal 
and  unreasonable.  Most  of  us  can  testify  to  the  fact  that,  in 
spite  of  the  cooler  climate,  and  the  consequent  harder  con- 
ditions of  their  life  up  there,  these  mosquitoes  were  by  no 
means  slothful.  Some  of  the  flies,  too  (particularly  when  one 
was  busy  fishing),  left  one's  face  smeared  with  so  many  verti- 
cal lines  of  clotted  blood  that  it  had  to  be  scraped  before  recog- 


KOTE   ON   THE   INSECTS   OF  S0KKERTOPPEN.  195 

nition  could  take  place.  I  made  several  fine  collections  of  this 
species,  but  do  not  regret  their  loss.  Among  the  Lepidoptera 
were  observed  about  a  dozen  species  of  Heterocera  (many  of 
them  day-flying),  and  of  the  RJiopalocera  (butterflies)  two 
species  appeared  to  be  tolerably  common — one  a  colias 
and  the  other  of  the  genus  Argynnis.  The  order  Hymenop- 
tera  was  represented  by  a  good  number  of  bees,  humble-bees, 
and  ants,  and  many  species  of  ground  spiders  were  phe- 
nomenally plentiful.  Pulex  gigds,  they  say,  occurs  in  Green- 
land, and  nowhere  else,  but  I  kept  away  from  the  Huskies. 


THE  FINDING  OF  THE  RIGEL. 


BY  RUSSELL  W.   PORTER. 


At  the  time  the  boat  jour- 
ney up  the  coast  in  search  of  as- 
sistance was  decided  upon  matters 
relating  to  the  party's  welfare  were 
in  a  very  bad  way.  As  far  as  we 
could  make  out,  from  what  we 
already  knew  and  from  what  we 
learned  from  the  governor  at 
Sukkertoppen,  our  chances  for 
returning  to  Europe  or  the  United 
States  that  summer  were  very 
slight.  No  more  Copenhagen 
trading  vessels  would  put  in  at 
Sukkertoppen,  and  Captain  Farrell,  of  the  Miranda,  said 
she  was  not  safe  to  return  in  unaccompanied  by  another  ves- 
sel. So  our  only  chance  was  to  intercept  and  bring  to  our 
relief  one  or  more  of  the  American  fishing  schooners  which 
were  usually  to  be  found  about  this  time  somewhere  off  Hol- 
steinborg,  near  the  Circle.  Holsteinborg  was  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles  up  the  coast,  and  with  a  fair  wind  could  be 
reached  in  a  few  days. 

So  the  open-boat  journey  was  decided  on.  Dr.  Cook  un- 
folded his  plans  to  us  in  his  cabin.  In  the  party  were  Ladd, 
Thompson,  Rogers,  Dunning,  and  myself.  He  frankly  told 
us  what  we  might  expect — hard  work  at  the  oars,  bad  weather, 
camping  on  the  rocks,  etc.,  but  we  determined  to  go,  some 
of  us  being  glad  to  get  the  chance. 


THE    FINDING    OF  THE    RIGEL.  197 

The  governor  was  kind  enough  to  give  us  the  use  of  his 
twenty-one-foot  whale-boat  and  a  large  tent.  To  these  were 
added  provisions  and  bags  and  a  crew  of  six  Eskimos,  one  of 
whom  was  a  full-fledged  "kayaker."  We  started  at  five 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  August  10,  leaving  the  crippled 
ship  amid  the  clieers  and  good  wishes  of  our  comrades.  We 
were  soon  in  our  oilskins,  and  on  rounding  the  point  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor  we  turned  north.  The  two  spritsails 
were  set,  and  we  were  fairly  oflf  on  our  hazardous  journey. 

We  were  cramped  for  room ;  provisions,  sleeping  bags, 
tents,  and  eleven  men  brought  the  gunwale  uncomfortably 
near  the  water's  edge,  especially  when  we  got  the  full  force 
of  the  wind  while  crossing  the  mouths  of  the  fiords,  and  the 
tops  of  the  waves  came  into  the  boat.  The  scene  opening 
up  to  us  was  grand  and  awe-inspiring,  similar  to  what  was 
seen  by  the  rest  of  the  party  in  their  trips  about  Sukkertop- 
pen.  Realizing,  as  we  did,  the  seriousness  of  our  mission, 
it  made  a  deep  impression  on  us.  As  night,  or  rather  twi- 
light, dropped  down  about  us,  and  the  mountains  far  up  the 
fiords  were  reflecting  the  last  red  rays  of  the  almost  mid- 
night sun,  the  bold  rocks  and  headlands  we  were  passing 
stood  out  in  all  their  savage  beauty.  The  sharp  guttural 
**uk,"  "puk,"  "tuk,"  terminations  to  the  Eskimos' warnings, 
as  they  saw  the  squalls  coming,  were  weird  and  unnatural. 

This  ever-varying  scene  of  rugged  mountains  and  islands, 
of  the  inland  snow  and  the  majestic  fiords,  was  present  dur- 
ing the  entire  trip.  We  saw  it  in  all  the  lights  and  moods 
that  nature  alone  could  give,  from  the  clear,  sharp  days  when 
the  fog-bank  rolled  out  to  sea  and  the  clouds  lifted  from  the 
mountains,  showing  us  the  shimmering  ice-cap  far  inland  on 
the  horizon,  to  the  days  of  wind  and  rain,  when,  storm-bound 
on  some  unknown  island,  we  watched  the  black  cliffs  frown- 
ing down  at  us  through  the  mist  and  rain. 

Our  run  the  first  day  was  forty  miles  in  eight  hours,  ar- 


198  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE   MIRAIfDA. 

riving  at  half-past  one  at  Kangarmuit  (Old  Sukkertoppen), 
where  we  were  greeted  with  a  most  unearthly  chorus  of  howls 
floating  out  on  the  morning  air.  That  night  we  slept  in  the 
attic  of  the  church,  and  glad  we  were  to  do  so,  for  it  saved  us 
pitching  the  tent.  The  next  day,  being  rainy  and  'Aplenty 
[too  much]  wind"  outside,  we  spent  with  Chief  Trader 
Eosin,  drinking  coffee  with  him  and  trading  with  the  natives. 

We  started  on  Sunday  morning,  with  the  entire  populace 
at  the  shore  to  see  us  off.  A  stiff,  fair  wind  favored  us,  and 
by  eleven  o^clock  that  night  we  had  another  forty  miles  to 
our  credit.  About  noon  of  that  day  we  passed  "Upper 
Strun "  fiord,  the  largest  in  western  Greenland.  It  runs 
inland  over  a  hundred  miles. 

Camp  Raven,  named  from  the  fact  that  two  ravens  croaked 
over  our  tent  all  night,  was  broken  early  Monday  morning  ; 
but  such  a  wind  was  blowing  that  before  we  had  made  a  mile 
northing  Dr.  Cook  gave  directions  to  put  back  to  shelter. 
And  high  time  it  was,  for  as  we  were  pitching  the  tent  the 
storm  broke,  and  for  two  days  and  nights  it  continued  with 
such  fury  that  it  was  seldom  we  ventured  out.  I  never  knew 
what  a  *'blow"  was  till  the  wind  came  down  off  those  moun- 
tains and  tried  to  carry  away  our  tent.  Several  times  we 
woke  and  gripped  the  canvas,  fearing  it  would  be  torn  from 
the  guys,  and  several  times  the  sides  were  strengthened  by 
additional  rocks.  It  was  the  same  storm  that  doubtless 
visited  the  hunting  parties  at  about  that  time,  although  from 
what  I  learned  they  did  not  get  as  much  wind. 

On  Thursday  morning,  soon  after  midnight,  there  were 
signs  of  clearing,  and  Dunning,  on  interviewing  Jacob,  our 
one-eyed  skipper,  finally  got  him  to  say  he  would  proceed. 
We  were  all  anxious  to  be  off  ;  we  knew  the  people  on  the 
steamer  were  worrying  about  us,  and  we  were  afraid  of  missing 
the  schooners. 

Itirdlek,  a  small,  poverty-stricken  place  of  perhaps  fifty 


THE   FINDING   OF  THE   RIGEL.  199 

souls,  was  reached  at  eleven  o'clock.  The  Arctic  Circle  had 
been  crossed  that  morning,  and  for  the  first  time  we  were 
really  within  the  Arctic  Zone.  The  news  we  heard  was  bad — 
no  schooners,  and  no  knowledge  of  them.  That  was  the  gist 
of  our  conversation  with  Trader  Jacob  Dahl.     . 

The  wind  had  gone  down,  and  the  mosquitoes  were  mak- 
ing life  miserable,  when  we  packed  up  our  effects,  after  a  hasty 
meal,  and  prepared  for  a  thirty-mile  row.  We  buckled  down 
to  our  task  in  earnest,  each  one  in  turn  taking  a  hand  at  the 
oars. 

At  six  o'clock  that  night  Amerdlok  fiord  was  crossed, 
and  at  eight  the  town  of  Ilolsteinborg,  our  destination,  was 
sighted.  We  were  greeted  with  open  arms  by  Governor 
Miiller,  who  informed  us  that  some  five  schooners  were  off  the 
coast  only  a  few  miles,  one  having  gone  out  only  that 
morning. 

The  effect  upon  us  of  this  news,  the  feeling  of  joy  and 
relief,  can  be  better  imagined  than  described,  and  when  we 
were  ushered  into  a  room  where  actually  there  was  a  bed  with 
eider-down  pillows,  mattresses,  and  quilts  we  for  the  mo- 
ment forgot  that  we  were  shipwrecked  people,  and  lived 
entirely  in  the  present. 

There  was  but  one  hitch  in  this  streak  of  good  luck  :  we 
couldn't  all  sleep  in  that  bed  ;  so  we  drew  lots,  and  Ladd, 
Thompson,  and  I  banked  out  on  the  floor.  Dr.  Cook  and 
Rogers  slept  on  the  feathers.  Xext  night,  however,  I  very 
conveniently  became  ill,  which  obviously  gave  me  tiie  right  to 
the  bed,  so  I  experienced  the  pleasant  change  from  rocks  and 
boards  to  eider-down  and  linen. 

When  I  awoke  next  morning  I  heard  these  words  uttered 
by  Dr.  Cook  :  "Thompson,  I  want  you,  Rogers,  and  Porter 
to  take  a  telescope  and  climb  that  mountain  across  the  harbor 
to  look  for  a  schooner  ;  if  you  see  a  sail,  note  its  bearing  and 
return  at  once."    We  had  no  sooner  crossed  the  harbor  and 


200  THE    LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

begun  the  ascent  than  Eogers  saw  a  vessel  putting  in  south  of 
us — at  Nepisat,  we  thought — and  he  started  back  immediately 
to  inform  the  Doctor,  while  Thompson  and  I  went  on  up  the 
mountain. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  ascent.  First  we  got  into  the 
fog,  later  into  rain,  and  finally,  when  about  two-thirds  of  the 
way  up,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  blinding  snow-storm.  We 
kept  on,  and  finally  reached  the  summit,  some  2,000  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  glorying  in  the  fact  that  it  was  August  and  that 
we  were  knee-deep  in  snow. 

I  took  several  snap  shots  on  this  little  trip,  one  in  par- 
ticular of  a  beautiful  waterfall  near  the  base  of  the  mountain, 
which  I  regret  exceedingly  was  lost. 

I  saw  my  first  and  only  game  in  Greenland  as  we  were  ap- 
proaching the  foot  of  the  mountain  in  the  boat.  It  was  a 
blue  fox,  and  a  small  one  at  that.  The  little  fellow  watched 
us  from  the  shore  until  we  had  almost  landed,  when,  with  a 
bark  very  much  like  that  of  a  dog,  he  scampered  off  over  the 
rocks. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Cook  heard  of  the  sail  we  had  seen  ne 
despatched  a  kayaker  with  instructions  to  intercept  the  vessel 
and  deliver  despatches  stating  our  distress  and  asking  for  as- 
sistance. For  the  rest  of  the  day  we  wandered  about  the  town, 
taking  pictures,  and  watching  the  governor  exercise  his  dogs  at- 
tached to  a  sledge,  which  they  drew  over  the  lawn  in  the  yard 
in  fine  style.  At  meal  times  Mr.  Muller  spread  a  bountiful 
repast,  at  which  he  insisted  we  should  all  be  present,  and 
which  it  is  unnecessary  to  say  we  all  enjoyed  immensely  after 
the  scanty  meals  we  had  coming  up  the  coast. 

I  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  this  gentleman's  courtesy  and 
unbounded  hospitality  to  us  while  we  were  under  his  roof. 
There  was  nothing  too  good  for  us,  and  when  the  time  for 
parting  came,  sincere  regret  was  expressed  by  the  entire 
family.     They  lived  in  the  same  comfortable,  almost  luxurious^ 


THE    FINDING   OF   THE    RIGEL.  201 

style  as  Governor  Bistrup,  at  Sukkertoppen,  with  all  modern 
conveniences,  from  a  beautiful  upright  piano  down  to  a  snap- 
shot camera. 

To  return  to  the  mission  nearest  our  hearts.  The  climax 
came  the  second  evening,  August  IG,  while  we  were  in  the 
governor's  study.  Tliere  was  a  commotion  at  the  wharf,  and 
some  urcliin  ran  in  sputtering  something  about  strangers  at  the 
dock,  and  we  all  rushed  to  the  gate  at  the  brow  of  the  hill  to 
see  what  the  matter  was.  Coming  up  the  narrow  jjath  was  a 
sight  which  moved  me,  and  I  believe  the  rest  of  our  little  band, 
more  than  any  other  event  of  the  trip,  not  even  excepting  the 
accident. 

Swinging  from  side  to  side,  and  clad  in  their  oilskins  and 
sou 'westers,  were  five  Gloucester  fishermen.  They  had  heard 
of  our  mishap,  and  had  come  post-haste  to  Holsteinborg  in  a 
dory.  The  spokesman,  a  man  whose  name  is  now  a  house- 
hold word  in  many  homes,  was  taken  into  the  governor's  house 
and  our  case  was  laid  before  him,  and  very  soon  we  saw  how 
matters  stood.  The  noble  fellow  was  standing  between  sym- 
pathy and  duty.  In  justice  to  his  crew  and  the  owners  of  his 
vessel,  he  could  not  abandon  his  cruise  for  the  sake  of  a  party 
of  unfortunate  strangers.  Yet  such  was  his  love  for  human- 
ity, seeing  that  we  were  staring  the  prospects  of  a  winter 
in  Greenland  in  the  face,  he  felt  what  he  would  want  another 
man  to  do  if  he  were  in  our  place.  He  left  us  with  these 
words  :  "  I  must  see  my  crew.  If  you  see  my  vessel  in  the 
offing  to-morrow  morning  flying  her  flag  you  will  understand 
that  I  have  decided  to  take  you  to  your  friends  at  Sukker- 
toppen." 

The  morning  came,  and  with  it  the  schooner.  All  that 
which  follows  is  an  old  story  ;  that  is,  after  we  reached 
our  party  on  August  20.  We  rowed  to  the  schooner,  our 
effects  were  put  aboard,  and  our  crew  of  faithful,  dirty  Hus- 
kies left  us  with  the  whale-boat  to  make  their  way  to  Sukker- 


202  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OE   THE    MIRANDA. 

toppen  by  themselves.  The  good  schooner  Rigel  weathered 
out  a  moderate  gale  off  Kangarmuit  and  finally  drew  up  along- 
side the  Miranda,  surrounded  by  the  whole  of  the  populace 
in  their  boats. 

Thus  ended  ten  days  of  the  most  delightful  experiences  of 
my  life.  Nothing  have  I  ever  given  up  with  a  more  lingering 
regret  than  the  sight  of  "  Greenland's  icy  mountains"  fading 
away  in  the  dim,  purple  distance. 


THE  TRIP  TO  HOLSTEINBORG. 


BY    MAYNARD   LADI). 


Mr.  Porter  has  had  the  pleas- 

^^  ant  task  of  telling  the  story  of  the 

m         '^i  ^'^^P  '^^  Holsteinborg  in  search  of  a 

^L         2  vessel  to  bring  the  passengers  and 

I 


^  crew  of  the  Miranda  back  to  home 

and  friends.  I  do  not  wish  to  en- 
croach upon  his  ground,  and,  as  I 

i  have  not  seen  his  narrative,  I  may 


prove  a  trespasser.  If  this  be  the 
case  I  offer  my  apologies  to  Mr. 
Porter  and  to  whomever  may  chance 
to  read  these  fragmentary  reminis- 
cences. 
We  six — Dr.  Cook,  Porter,  Rogers,  Thompson,  Dunning, 
and  I — enjoyed  a  novelty  of  incidents  in  that  eventful  trip  of 
ten  days  which  made  it  to  us  the  most  memorable  experience 
of  the  expedition.  My  mind  dwells  with  most  interest  on 
the  first  and  last  days  of  the  journey.  Up  to  the  time  we 
stepped  down  the  gangway  ladder  into  the  boat  and  pulled 
out  of  the  harbor  of  Siikkertoppen  amid  the  cheers  and  eager 
Crod-speeds  of  our  companions,  events  had  turned  from  bad  to 
worse,  unhil  the  good-natured  acquiescence  of  the  passengers 
to  their  continual  ill-luck  was  surely  changing  to  a  feeling 
of  anxious  apprehension.  In  retrospect,  it  seems  as  if  the 
spell  of  misfortune  which  had  followed  us  with  such  persistency 
became  broken  from  the  moment  we  lost  sight  of  the  Miran- 
da as  we  rounded  the  rocky  promontory  which  enclosed  tlie 
northern  part  of  the  harbor. 


204  THE    LAST   CEUISE    OF   THE    MIKAKDA. 

A  favoring  breeze  freshened  our  hopes  as  it  speeded  us  in 
the  direction  of  Kangarmuit.  That  evening's  sail  was  rare 
sport.  The  wind  grew  stronger  and  stronger,  driving  us 
along  at  a  pace  that  left  our  swift  kayaker  far  astern,  and  we 
were  finally  obliged  to  lay  to  iinder  the  lee  of  an  island  to 
await  his  coming.  When  we  had  taken  him  and  his  canoe 
aboard  we  numbered  eleven  persons,  who,  with  the  tents, 
provisions,  and  sundry  luggage,  weighted  our  twenty-foot 
boat  about  to  her  limit.  How  well  I  remember  that  evening  ! 
We  six  were  snugly  packed  in  the  stern,  our  knees  locked, 
and  every  inch  of  room  occupied.  In  the  bow  were  the  four 
Huskie  sailors,  and  behind  us  sat  old  Jacob  Neilson,  our  half- 
breed  pilot,  blind  in  one  eye,  but,  as  we  had  many  oppor- 
tunities to  prove,  still  skilful  in  the  art  of  sailing  between 
dangerous  shoals  and  ugly-looking  reefs. 

Toward  eleven  o'clock  it  grew  moderately  dark,  and  heavy 
gusts  of  wind  began  to  sweep  over  the  water  at  frequent 
intervals,  gradually  increasing  in  strength.  One  of  the  sails 
had  to  be  taken  in,  and  often  the  second  also,  when  a  partic- 
ularly heavy  blast  made  the  little  boat  tip  to  one  side  until  the 
water  flowed  over  the  gunwale.  The  Huskies,  crouched  low 
on  the  windward  side,  kept  a  close  lookout  for  the  squalls. 
Every  minute  or  two  came  their  warning  shouts  to  Jacob,  and 
a  moment  later  the  strain  upon  the  masts  bore  witness  to  the 
keen  sight  of  the  natives.  Our  pilot's  skill  never  failed  him, 
however,  and  we  soon  acquired  confidence  in  him  and  the 
staunch  little  boat.  The  shoals  and  reefs  which  surrounded 
us  looked  ominous  in  the  dusky  light,  but  only  once  did  they 
seriously  threaten  us  ;  and  then  our  rudder  became  unshipped 
and  we  were  being  driven  rapidly  toward  the  rocky  shore. 
The  oars  were  quickly  put  in  place,  and  a  little  vigorous  pull- 
ing prevented  any  accident. 

As  we  neared  Kangarmuit  we  got  under  the  lee  of  the 
islands.      The  sailing  grew  quiet  and  less   exciting.      The 


THE  TRIP  TO   HOLSTEINBORa.  205 

Eskimos  relaxed  their  vigilance,  and,  crowding  close  to 
each  other  for  warmth,  sang  weird  native  songs.  Cold  and 
fatigued  from  our  cramped  position,  we  dozed  as  best  we 
could.  Morning  was  dawning  as  we  entered  the  harbor  of 
Kangarmuit,  or  Old  Sukkertoppen,  amid  a  grand  chorus  of 
howls  from  a  colony  of  dogs,  which  gave  to  the  slumbering 
village  the  first  intimation  of  the  presence  of  strangers. 

For  several  days  the  wind  blew  strongly  from  the  south- 
west and  the  sea  and  sky  were  threatening.  If  the  condition 
of  the  elements  was  at  times  unfavorable  to  our  plans,  it  had 
the  redeeming  feature  of  adding  to  the  picturesqueness  and 
impressivenessof  the  scenery  along  the  coast.  We  were  once 
encamped  on  a  little  island,  named  by  us  "Windy  Cove,'* 
for  thirty-six  hours,  during  which  the  gale,  which  had  been 
steadily  gaining  in  violence  since  our  first  night,  finally 
ended.  Not  until  midnight  of  the  fourth  day  was  the  water 
smooth  enough  for  a  boat  like  ours  to  venture  out.  So  we 
made  a  midnight  breakfast,  broke  up  our  camp,  and  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  embarked  for  a  run  of  twenty-two 
hours  to  Holsteinborg. 

The  air  was  cold  and  piercing  after  the  storm.  If  we  suf- 
fered some  discomforts  in  consequence,  we  were  richly  com- 
pensated for  it  by  the  magnificence  of  the  scenery.  The 
heavy  black  clouds  remained,  though  the  wind  had  mod- 
erated, giving  a  wild  and  unnatural  look  to  the  rugged  coast. 
North  and  south,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  lay  a  grand 
chain  of  mountain  ranges.  In  distant  spots  one  could  see 
the  great  white  masses  of  the  inland  ice,  which  cast  its  glare 
into  the  sky  with  intense  brightness.  Between  them  and  the 
sea,  still  spotted  with  foamy  whitecaps,  rose  a  great  barrier 
of  mountains  split  into  a  hundred  ragged  peaks.  Some  pro- 
jected into  the  heavens  for  several  thousand  feet ;  some 
seemed  like  ruined  castles  built  on  impregnable  heights,  and 
many  ended  at  the  very  water's  edge  in  steep  precipices  that 


20G  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE   MIEANDA. 

extended  almost  perpendicularly  from  the  base  to  the  top. 
Between  them,  the  overhanging  glaciers  dipped  into  the  mas- 
sive fissures,  and  deep,  beautiful  fiords  ran  for  miles  back  tow- 
ard the  interior.  The  new-fallen  snow  completely  covered 
the  upper  portion  of  the  peaks,  its  brightness  intensified  by 
the  dark  blue  of  the  mountains  below  the  sharply  marked 
snow-line.  As  the  morning  advanced,  the  sun  began  to 
pierce  the  heavy  clouds,  making  a  thousand  different  lights 
and  shadows,  and  giving  an  effect  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of 
which  were  truly  inspiring. 

Many  times  we  wished  the  rest  of  the  party  might  have 
witnessed  these  scenes.  AYe  began  to  realize  what  might  have 
been  our  enthusiasm  for  Greenland  and  Arctic  voyages  if 
fate  had  not  so  suddenly  brought  the  expedition  to  an  end. 
I  feel  that  we  were  most  fortunate  to  have  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  viewing  so  much  of  the  Greenland  coast.  We  also 
had  a  chance  to  compare  the  natives  of  the  different  settle- 
ments. Kangarmuit  did  not  differ  much  in  character  from 
Sukkertoppen,  except  that  it  was  smaller  and  the  Eskimos 
were,  on  the  whole,  less  prosperous.  In  Itirdlek,  however,  one 
could  not  fail  to  notice  the  contrast.  The  natives  were 
abjectly  poor  and  dirty,  and  their  houses,  as  a  rule,  were  far 
worse  than  those  of  the  most  degraded  in  Sukkertoppen. 

In  Ilolsteinborg  all  was  different.  An  air  of  comparative 
respectability  and  prosperity  impressed  itself  upon  us  at  once. 
A  suspicion  of  cleanliness,  both  of  the  houses  and  inhabitants, 
was  very  evident,  and  after  our  visits  at  Kangarmuit  and 
Itirdlek  we  felt  we  had  reached  Greenland's  metropolis.  The 
neat  and  spacious  quarters  of  Governor  Miiller  and  his  assis- 
tant, Herr  Koch,  and  the  government  buildings  for  the  seal- 
oil  industry,  naturally  formed  the  bulk  of  the  settlement. 
Perhaps  our  royal  reception  at  the  hands  of  Governor  Miiller 
and  his  hospitable  wife  had  much  to  do  with  our  favorable 
impressions  of  the  place.     They  certainly  showed  us  every 


HE  TRIP  TO   HOLSTEINBOBG.  207 

kindness  and  courtesy.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  active  ser- 
vices of  the  Governor  in  our  behalf,  the  result  of  our  trip 
would  probably  have  been  very  different. 

As  the  anniversary  of  the  events  related  in  this  history  of 
the  Miranda's  last  voyage  recurs  we  all  undoubtedly  find  our 
thoughts  reverting  to  the  scenes  through  which  we  passed. 
I  venture  to  say  that  in  these  contributions  from  the  different 
members  of  the  expedition  there  will  be  at  least  one  point  of 
agreement — we  are  all  glad  we  went,  and  doubly  glad  to  have 
happened  upon  so  noble  a  rescuer  as  Captain  Dixon,  of  the 
Rigel. 


ICEBERGS. 


BY  ARTHUK  E.  THOMPSON. 


From  the  far  Northland  ceaselessly 
they  come, 
Like    errant    knights,    a-sailing 

down  the  sea, 
That  alien  men  may  guess  the 
majesty 
And  splendor  of  the  mighty  Frost 
King's  home. 

Firm  and  immutable   they  seem, 
and  fling 
The  baffled  surges  back  in  high 
disdain. 

As  if  such  puny  onsets  must  be  vain 
'Gainst  the  proud  structures  of  the  Arctic  King. 


Well  might  old  minstrels  sing  the  monarch's  fame 
Within  those  steel-blue  caverns  of  the  ice. 
Where  crystal  arches,  carved  in  fretwork  nice. 

His  lavish  wealth  and  royal  power  proclaim. 


But  as  I  listen,  'tis  no  song  I  hear ; 

No  hoary  minstrel  from  his  cavern  sings. 
Nor  with  enfeebled  fingers  tunes  the  strings : 

A  sound  more  stern,  more  awful,  meets  my  ear. 


ICEBERGS.  209 

Hark  !  from  the  depths  of  3-onder  glistening  mass 
Come  thunderings,  as  if  the  mighty  Thor 
Had  made  his  fortress  tliere,  and  offered  war 

To  Ocean's  monsters  from  a  throne  of  glass. 

Yet  sea-birds  shy,  as  ^twere  no  fearsome  place, 
Alight  and  rest,  and  dolphins  round  it  play 
Within  the  circle  of  its  surf  and  spray  : 

Men  only  turn  in  terror  from  its  face. 

So  trend  the  monsters  southward  haughtily. 
Admired,  and  feared,  and  wondrous  for  a  time. 
Till  'neath  the  soft,  insidious  southern  clime 

They  fall — the  prey  of  Sun  and  fawning  Sea. 


A  GREENLAND  SUNDAY. 


BY    CHAKLES    BLAKE    CAEPENTEK. 


It  was  a  curious  but  reverently 
conducted  service  that  we  attended 
at  St.  James'  Church,  Sukkertop- 
pen,  on  August  12.  It  was  a  cold, 
,  gray  misty  morning  ;  such  a  one  as 
in  the  land  of  Christian  civilization 
would  have  soothingly  induced  the 
indifferent  church-goer  to  remain 
quietly  at  home,  conscientiously 
absorbed  in  the  quantity  of  his 
;  Sunday  journal.  But  the  Eskimos 
— let  this  virtue  be  duly  regarded — 
'  are  not  fair-weather  Christians,  and 
the  congregation  was  large,  in  consequence.  The  ladies  have 
no  gowns  to  ruin,  no  feathers  to  uncurl,  no  frizzes  to  "  come 
out ; "  nor  do  silk  hats  or  creased  trousers  concern  the  gentle- 
men. In  a  pouring  rain,  therefore,  with  no  umbrellas,  all 
maintain  a  cheerful  countenance  and  a  peace  of  mind  not 
even  remotely  disturbed  by  a  shadow  of  "  things  correct "  as 
to  cut  or  shape — and  go  to  church.  In  singular  contrast  is 
this  spirit  to  the  immortal  utterance  of  one  of  New  England's 
daughters  who,  in  a  contemplative  mood,  remarks  :  "  There 
is  a  repose  in  the  consciousness  of  being  perfectly  well 
dressed  that  even  religion  cannot  bestow."  The  revelation  of 
this  truth  has  yet  to  dawn  upon  the  Eskimo  mind.  When  it 
does,  together  with  other  truths  of  a  highly  enlightened 
nature,  the  repose  in  primitive  simplicity  on  the  part  of  the 


A    GREENLAXl)    SUNDAY.  211 

Greenlanders — that  happy  independence  of  a  contented  people 
— will  be  forfeited. 

It  was  the  novelty  of  the  situation  that  induced  the 
American  contingent  of  that  singularly  strange  congregation 
to  be  present  at  a  service  than  which  nothing  but  the  spirit 
in  which  it  was  held  could  be  appreciated. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  were  all  at  the  church — a  whitewashed 
stone  building  with  a  wooden  front,  the  wood  having  been 
brought  irom  Denmark — whose  spire,  surmounted  by  a  cross, 
manifests  in  a  strong  and  beautiful  way  how  in  every  tribe 
and  kindred  the  symbol  of  Christianity  is  being  uplifted.  It 
was  not  long  ago  that  these  people  were  pagans,  and  farther 
north  and  on  the  eastern  coast  many  still  hold  to  the  crude 
belief  of  their  forefathers.  In  the  spring  of  1894  the  first 
missionary  station  on  the  eastern  shores  was  established. 
The  work  and  zeal  of  missions  are  spreading,  though  marked 
results  are  hard  to  determine.  The  first  bell  had  called  to- 
gether a  motley  number,  who  stood  idly  about  the  doors  of 
the  church,  smiling  good-naturedly,  and  maintaining  a  re- 
spectful silence.  At  the  ringing  of  the  second  bell  more 
church-comers  hurried  from  their  little  igloos.  Xo  one 
entered  until  Mr.  Petersen  first  went  in.  Mr.  Petersen,  a 
half-breed,  studied  at  Copenhagen  for  two  years,  and  is  the 
licensed  catechist  of  the  parish,  as  well  as  the  village  school- 
master. His  father,  an  old  man  with  a  kind  face,  assists 
him.  The  service  is  Lutheran.  Once  each  year  a  regular 
priest  visits  the  parish  to  confirm,  administer  the  sacraments, 
and  perform  the  marriage  rites.  Marriage  is  the  outcome  of 
an  exceedingly  brief  courtship,  during  which  there  is  no  time 
allowed  for  "Iluyler's"  or  flowers  to  be  sentimentally  be- 
stowed ;  in  fact,  there  is  nothing  pathetically  civilized  about 
an  Eskimo  engagement,  but,  through  Christian  influence,  let 
it  be  said,  marriage  is  honorably  regarded. 

At  the  service  on  this  morning  in  question  Mr.  Petersen, 


213  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIEANDA. 

Sv.,  officiated,  and  his  son  presided  at  the  organ.  The  front 
pews  had  been  reserved  for  us,  and  in  our  rear  this  strange  con- 
gregation— the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on  the  other — 
arranged  themselves,  the  children  sitting  in  front  of  them, 
upon  whom  the  watchful  eye  could  rest  and  interrupt  any 
enthusiastic  diversions  from  the  service  itself.  A  period  of 
the  most  violent  coughing  ensued,  consumption  being  com- 
mon among  them — a  result  of  careless  living  and  the  mixture 
of  the  Danish  and  Eskimo  races. 

The  interior  of  the  church  was  neatly  painted  in  white  and 
light-blue,  the  altar  covered  with  a  cloth  of  red,  with  Jleur  de 
lis  embroidered  in  gold.  On  the  altar  were  two  eucharistic 
lights  and  a  crucifix.  Completing  the  chauceFs  furnishings 
were  the  lectern  and  old-fashioned  pulpit,  and  a  small  reed 
organ.  A  stove  in  which  peat  is  burned,  near  the  centre  of 
the  nave,  afforded  the  necessary  heat.  The  service  was  begun 
in  a  low,  tearful  voice,  and  maintained  throughout  in  the  same 
monotone.  While  nothing,  of  course,  could  be  understood  by 
us,  the  service  was  nevertheless  impressive.  A  few  opening 
sentences  were  first  read,  then  the  Lord's  Prayer  ;  a  chant 
followed,  sung  in  perfect  harmony,  but  very  slowly.  The 
Eskimos  have  good  voices  and  an  excellent  sense  of  harmony. 
It  took  fifteen  minutes  to  sing  this  chant.  A  chapter  was 
then  read,  after  which,  for  the  first  time,  the  congregation 
rose  to  repeat  some  short  versicle.  A  very  unimpassioned 
sermon  of  twenty-three  minutes  was  read,  during  which  one 
man  gave  way  to  occasional  snores.  At  the  close  of  the  ser- 
mon they  arose  for  the  ascription.  A  hymn  followed,  then  a 
prayer  and  the  grace,  and  the  service  was  ended.  At  six 
o'clock  that  evening  we  returned  for  our  own  service.  To 
my  surprise,  there  were  about  two  hundred  Eskimos  waiting 
around  the  church.  It  was  a  most  curious  congregation,  and 
impressed  me  singularly.  In  the  front  pews  sat  some  of  our 
university    professors,  several  physicians,   lawyers,   men    of 


A    GREENLAND    SUNDAY.  213 

business,  college  students,  the  Danish  Governor,  his  wife  and 
family,  the  Assistant  Governor  and  his  wife,  about  thirty  of 
the  Miranda's  crew,  and  in  the  rear,  closely  seated  together, 
were  the  Huskies,  the  peculiar  fasliion  of  wearing  the  hair, 
with  their  various-colored  ribbons,  producing  a  strange  effect. 
A  sermon  of  Dr.  Liddon's  was  read.  An  Eskimo  organist 
played  the  hymns  which  I  had  arranged,  through  Mrs.  Bis- 
trup,  the  governor's  wife,  as  interpreter,  should  be  played  in 
the  order  as  marked  when  I  shook  my  head.  TVe  sang  "Blest 
Be  the  Tie  That  Binds,"  "Abide  with  Me,''  "Nearer,  My 
God,  to  Thee,"  and  "  Coronation." 

"  Ijet  every  kindred,  every  tribe, 
On  this  terrestrial  ball, 
To  Him  all  majesty  ascribe, 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all," 

seemed  fittingly  appropriate.  "  From  Greenland's  Icy  Moun- 
tains "  would  have  been  gladly  sung,  but  our  chances  of  remain- 
ing there  for  one  whole  year  seemed  unpleasantly  certain. 

The  church  was  provided  with  no  alms-basin,  and  when 
the  offertory  sentence  was  announced  Commodore  Gardner 
passed  Mr.  Cleveland's  hat  among  our  own  members  of 
the  congregation,  and  the  offering  was  afterwards  presented  to 
the  governor,  to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  church.  Fortu- 
nately, the  organist  played  the  hymns  in  the  order  of  their 
announcement,  and  the  service  proceeded  reverently.  Though 
it  is  a  sad  reflection,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  Professor  Dyche 
was  prominently  asleeji — a  lethargic  effect,  in  all  probability, 
of  the  Greenland  mountain  air. 

I  could  not  but  be  impressed,  as  we  read  that  evening  in 
the  Psalter  for  the  twelfth  day,  with  the  force  of  the  words  : 
"  Thou  that  art  the  hope  of  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  and  of 
them  that  remain  in  the  broad  sea  ;  "  and  again,  "  They  that 
dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  shall  be  afraid  at 
Thy  tokens."    And  then  it  seemed  sad  to  think  how  utterly 


214  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRAXUA, 

lost  must  be  the  meaning  of  those  words  that  follow  in  the 
same  beautiful  Psalm  :  "  Thou  waterest  her  furrows.  Thou 
sendest  rain  into  the  little  valleys  thereof,  Thou  makest  it 
soft  with  the  drops  of  rain  and  blessest  the  increase  of  it. 
Thou  crownest  the  year  with  Thy  goodness,  and  Thy  clouds 
drop  fatness.  They  shall  drop  upon  the  dwellings  of  the 
wilderness,  and  the  little  hills  shall  rejoice  on  every  side.  The 
folds  shall  be  full  of  sheep,  the  valleys  also  shall  stand  so  thick 
with  corn  that  they  shall  laugh  and  sing.^^  Eskimos  have 
no  idea  of  furrows.  They  have  never  seen  sheep,  nor  sheep- 
folds,  nor  corn.  The  beauty  is  lost  to  them,  and  they  are 
not  aware  of  the  existence  of  so  many  of  our  most  familiar 
things.  Fortunately,  in  no  way  is  this  knowledge  neces- 
sary for  their  practical  welfare  or  happiness.  The  hard, 
cold  facts  of  Arctic  theology  must  be  referred  to  some  native 
doctor  of  divinity  for  consistent  explanation.  Emerging  in 
comparatively  recent  times  from  the  strange  superstitions  of 
which  their  folk-lore  tells  us,  their  appreciation  of  some  of 
the  fundamental  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  has  yet  to 
develop.  Christian  influence,  however,  has  brought  about 
many  changes,  and  they  are  wisely  instructed  in  religion  in 
a  natural  native  way,  without  the  unnecessary  accompaniments 
of  a  foreign  civilization  being  thrust  upon  them — their  means 
of  living  not  admitting  of  these  advantages.  Far  better  for 
them  to  know  and  feel  the  real  truth  of  religion  according  to 
their  own  standard  of  civilization,  however  crude  that  may 
seem — to  be  taught  their  duty  in  that  state  of  life  in  which 
God  has  placed  them — than  to  introduce  a  civilization  which 
would  breed  a  spirit  of  discontent  and  lead  to  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  race. 

After  church  we  were  delightfully  entertained  by  the  gov- 
ernor and  his  family,  and  so  our  Sunday  amid  Greenland's  icy 
mountains  came  to  an  end,  leaving  impressions  which  will 
long  be  pleasantly  remembered. 


OUR  ADVENTURES  AT  SUKKERTOPPEN 


BY  CAKLYLE  GARRISON. 


At  Governor  Bistrup's  house 
we  were  heartily  welcomed.  On 
August  9  we  started  for  Disco.  A 
storm  seemed  impending,  and  the 
wind  was  blowing  half  a  gale.  Cap- 
tain Farrell's  charts  were  old,  so  he 
had  to  rely  on  the  pilot  who  took  us 
out. 

The  pilot  left  us  about  8  a.  m., 
after  giving  directions  to  Captain 
Farrell.  What  these  were,  opinions 
differ.  However,  when  we  had 
steamed  about  seven  miles  on  our 
course,  and  were  still  near  the  rocky 
shores,  our  ship  met  with  the  accident  that  eventually  caused 
us  to  abandon  her. 

About  half-past  eight  o'clock,  while  we  were  all  at  break- 
fast, a  slight  grating  was  heard,  then  it  ceased  for  a  moment ; 
but  as  the  Miranda  sank  into  the  trough  of  the  sea  she 
crashed  down  upon  a  hidden  reef,  throwing  men  from  their 
feet  and  piling  the  dishes  indiscriminately  at  one  end  of  the 
dining-room — and  the  third  time  that  she  came  down  on  the 
reef  we  all  felt  instinctively  that  the  ship  would  sink,  so  a 
scramble  for  the  deck  occurred,  thus  rendering  the  com- 
panionway  a  scene  of  the  wildest  excitement. 

But  when  we  arrived  on  deck  the  confusion  was  over,  and 
those  who  were  sparsely  attired  even  ventured  to  go  below 


21G  THE    LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE    MIKAXDA. 

and  finish  their  toilet.  To  show  how  the  mind  acts  under 
intense  excitement,  one  man  rushed  to  his  stateroom  and 
gravely  told  his  companion  to  save  all  the  tobacco  that  he 
had.  The  latter  carefully  poured  from  a  tin  box  about  three 
pipe-loads  of  the  sacred  stuff  and  tied  it  up  in  a  paper  bag  ; 
then  remembering  the  ship's  condition,  he  rushed  on  deck. 

The  whistle  was  blown  and  the  cannon  fired  so  as  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  those  on  shore. 

After  waiting  some  time  we  saw  two  small  specks  appear 
on  the  crest  of  a  wave,  but  in  another  instant  they  had  disap- 
peared. Now  the  specks  would  appear  and  disappear  at  short 
intervals,  and  again  we  would  lose  sight  of  them  for  some  time. 
Finally  they  reached  the  side  of  the  Miranda,  and  proved  to 
be  kayaks.  Climbing  up  the  ladder,  the  first  Eskimo,  rush- 
ing to  the  bridge  where  the  captain  stood,  pointed  over  the 
starboard  bow,  and  exclaimed,  in  an  excited  tone,  *'N"o 
goot ! "  then  pointing  to  his  mouth,  he  wavered  as  though  he 
were  about  to  fall.  The  battle  with  the  waves  had  completely 
exhausted  him.  Water  was  soon  brought  to  him,  and  had  the 
desired  effect. 

About  an  hour  later  we  were  moored  in  the  harbor  of  Suk- 
kertoppen.  The  engineer  made  an  examination,  and  found 
that  the  water-ballast  tank  was  filled  with  water  and  could 
not  be  cleared.  He  also  found  two  small  holes,  which  were 
immediately  plugged.  In  such  a  condition  it  was  impossible 
to  attempt  to  cross  Davis  Straits,  so  we  must  hunt  for  aid. 

We  learned  that  several  American  fishing  schooners  were 
anchored  at  Holsteinborg,  about  one  hundred  and  forty  miles 
north  of  Sukkertoppen.  The  outlook  was  not  very  pleasant, 
for  if  we  did  not  get  another  ship  we  should  have  to  winter  in 
Greenland,  which  meant  probable  death  to  some  of  us. 

Dr.  Cook  got  up  a  party  to  go  to  Holsteinborg.  He  pro- 
cured a  boat  from  Governor  Bistrup.  It  was  twenty-four  feet 
long,  carrying  two  sails,  with  five  Eskimos  to  manage  it.    Two 


OUR    ADVENTURES   AT   SUKKERTOPPEN.  217 

other  parties  went  out  for  pleasure :  one  under  Professor 
Wriglit,  of  Oberlin  College,  to  visit  the  glaciers,  and  the 
other  under  Henry  Collins  Walsh,  the  historian  of  the  party, 
to  kill  reindeer. 

During  the  two  weeks  that  we  remained  in  Greenland 
we  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing  the  characteristics  of  the 
Eskimos.  At  a  dance  given  in  the  governor's  yard  a  young 
man  from  the  Miranda  failed  to  find  a  pa'rtner,  but  soon  an 
Eskimo,  seeing  him  looking  on,  brought  his  wife  to  dance 
with  him.  After  the  dance  the  Eskimo  came  up  to  him 
and  said,  **Un  crowner,**  meaning  that  he  wanted  a  crown 
for  letting  his  wife  dance,  but  I  am  afraid  that  he  failed  to 
collect  the  money. 


THE    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BY  RUDOLF    KERSTIXG, 

OFFICIAL   PHOTOGRAPHER. 


Seventeen  cameras  on  board 
the  Miranda,  and  seventeen  minds 
differing  in  their  objects  and  views. 
Had  the  steamer  been  able  to  go 
over  the  intended  route  and  given 
the  travellers  the  time  proposed, 
never  would  a  more  complete  pic- 
torial record  of  Arctic  travel,  sport, 
and  scientific  aspects  have  Ibeen 
made.  As  it  was,  the  scope  of  sub- 
jects in  the  illustrations  is  much 
more  varied  than  any  one,  two,  or 
three  men,  amateur  or  professional, 
could  have  procured. 
Something  over  a  thousand  plates,  mostly  developed,  were 
lost  when  the  steamer  was  abandoned.  The  writer  lost  over 
six  hundred  eight  by  ten  negatives. 

The  illustrations  in  this  book  are  products  of  the  cameras  of 
members  of  the  expedition,  with  the  exception  of  five.  These 
were  reproduced  from  originals  taken  by  a  native  Eskimo 
photographer  at  Godthaab,  who  spent  two  years  in  Denmark, 
and  is  quite  proficient  in  the  art ;  and  two  of  the  illustrations 
have  been  reproduced  from  sketches.  A  few  remarks  con- 
cerning the  photographers  and  their  Avork  will  add  to  the 
interest  of  the  illustrations. 

Professor  William  H.  Brewer,  of  Yale,  photographed  with 
excellent  success,  paying  much  attention  to  lighting  his  sub- 


W.    H.    BREWER  G.    FREC'K    WRIGHT  F.    B.    WRIGHT  JAMES   D.    DEWELL 


C.   B.   CARPENTER  RUO.    KERSTINQ 


V. 


R.    O.    STEBBINS 


R.  W.   PORTER  A.   P.   ROGERS 


J.    R.    FOROYCE 


^1^  .^jj^  0'^  ^1^  '^S^ 

0.    W.    GARDNER  JULES   F.    VALl£  L.    L.    OVCHE  A.    R.    THOMPSON  A.    B.    BROWN 


220  THE    LAST    CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA, 

jects,  tlie  geological  formations  of  rocks,  dikes,  traps,  and 
eruptive  basalt. 

Professor  G.  Fred.  Wright,  of  Oberlin,  and  his  son  Fred, 
an  able  assistant,  were  especially  interested  in  glacial  forma- 
tions, photographing  glacier  fronts,  tops,  moraines,  etc. 
Their  views  are  among  the  best,  as  far  as  execution  and  selec- 
tion of  subjects  are  concerned.  Unfortunately,  many  of  their 
finest  views  were  lost. 

James  D.  Dewell,  using  a  camera  for  the  first  time, 
astonislied  every  one  with  the  fine  results  of  his  work.  He  was 
interested  particularly  in  the  subject  of  cemeteries,  and  to  this 
we  are  indebted  for  the  fine  views  of  Sukkertoppen  Cemetery 
and  its  beautiful  scenic  surroundings.  Charles  B.  Carpenter, 
a  theological  student,  also  handling  a  camera  for  the  first 
time,  had  the  good  fortune  to  save  all  of  his  photographs 
— about  one  hundred  and  seventy  in  number.  The  majority 
of  illustrations  in  this  book  are  from  his  work.  Thanks  to  his 
turn  of  mind,  we  have,  among  others,  pictures  of  the  church, 
the  Petersen  family,  and  the  governors  and  their  families. 

Elias  P.  Lyon,  professor  of  biology,  naturally  contributed 
scenes  and  views  particularly  appropriate  to  his  studies. 

Eoswell  0.  Stebbins,  D.D.S.,  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
about  three  hundred  negatives,  the  majority  relating  to  his 
study  of  the  formation  of  Eskimo  teeth  and  jaws.  Thanks 
to  his  magazine  camera,  we  have  a  dozen  views  of  the  expedi- 
tion up  Isortok  fiord,  of  which  he  was  a  member.  Photo- 
graphs by  him,  taken  on  the  return  trip  after  reaching  Labra- 
dor, are  unquestionably  the  best  extant. 

Russell  W.  Porter  also  lost  all  his  Greenland  views,  but 
contributes  a  few  good  illustrations  from  life  on  board  the 
Rigel.  A.  P.  Rogers  saved  two  plates,  which  are  the  only 
pictures  we  have  of  First  Mate  Manuel  and  Ice-pilot  Dumphy. 
John  R.  Fordyce  also  saved  his  entire  collection,  numbering 
about  two  hundred. 


THE   ILLUSTRATIONS.  221 

All  the  above-mentioned  gentlemen  saved  more  or  less 
of  their  work,  but  the  following  lost  their  negatives  and  cam- 
eras :  Dr.  Jules  F.  Valle,  for  twenty  years  a  noted  amateur, 
had  undoubtedly  the  finest  collection  of  native  character- 
studies  ever  collected.  Professor  L.  L.  Dyche,  the  naturalist, 
Commodore  G.  W.  Gardner,  A.  R.  Thompson,  and  A.  B. 
Brown  trusted  too  mucli  to  the  staunchness  of  the  Miranda, 
and  have  nothing  for  their  labor. 

Never  did  a  set  of  men  work  more  harmoniously,  ear- 
nestly, and  enthusiastically  than  did  my  friends,  the  amateur 
photographers  of  the  Cook  Arctic  Expedition  of  1894. 


A  LETTER  FROM  HON.  GEO.  W.  GARDNER. 


Dear  Old  Shipmate  : — From 
the  moil  and  turmoil  of  a  business 
life,  I  rest  to  think  over  the  haps 
and  mishaps  occurring  to  that  royal 
good  company  who  trusted  tliem- 
selves  to  an  ill-fitted  and  ill-fated 
iron  steamship  which  sailed  her 
final  cruise,  ending  disastrously  and 
yet  so  fortunately  for  us,  though 
she  now  lies  in  the  depths  of  the 
great  northern  sea.  Shall  we  ever 
forget  her  name — the  Miranda — or 
the  ceaseless,  untiring  efforts  for  a 
successful  voyage  on  the  part  of  her  good  commander,  or  the 
noble -hearted  captain  who,  with  his  whole-souled  crew, 
rescued  us  by  giving  up  an  opportunity  for  financial  success, 
in  deviating  from  the  object  of  his  trip,  generously  providing 
us,  in  his  good  ship  the  Rigel,  a  safe  passage  to  an  accessible 
port,  that  we  might  continue  on  in  the  light  of  this  life  and 
its  enjoyments  with  those  most  dear  to  us  ?  So  long  as  this 
life  lasts,  we  certainly  shall  not. 

What  a  transition,  from  the  horrors  of  a  shipwrecked  con- 
dition— the  insatiable  longing  for  something  palatable  when 
afar  off  on  Greenland's  icy  shore,  patiently,  hopefully  wait- 
ing for  succor — to  the  courteous  hospitality  of  good  Governor 
Bistrup,  who  never  before  spoke  an  English  word  till,  with 
our  teaching,  he  uttered  that  well-known  sentence,  '^  Many 
happy  days,''  and  to  Mrs.  Governor  Bistrup,  his  charming 
wife,  who  in  a  most   kindly  manner  greeted  us  so  warmly 


A   LETTER    FROM    HOX.   GEO.  AV.   GARDXER.  223 

that  the  chill  of  the  Arctic  air  was  dissipated,  and  we  moved 
in  the  thirty-third  degree  of  Danish  Greenland  social  enjoy- 
ment. What  a  change  from  the  time  when  we  were  studying 
latitude  and  longitude,  dodging  the  treacherous  ice-fields. that 
persistently  surrounded  us,  peering  in  dense  fogs  that  ever 
followed  us,  and  fearing  the  almost  certainty  of  dangerous 
reefs  beneath  us.  You  haven't  forgotten,  dear  old  shipmate — 
for  our  companionship  'midst  all  the  discomforts  of  a  dan- 
gerous cruise  made  us  dear,  each  to  the  other — you  cannot 
have  forgotten  the  delicious  enjoyment  of  that,  to  us,  odd  hut 
elegant  dinner  given  us  by  our  friends,  Governor  and  Mrs. 
Bistrnp,  in  their  dove-nest,  the  only  civilized — though  small 
in  compass — residence  in  that  community  of  happy,  peaceable, 
dirty  Eskimos,  who  informed  us  in  the  good  Iluskie  language 
that  we  all  learned  to  know  that  Sukkertoppen  was  the  name 
of  the  settlement  where,  with  them,  seal  meat  as  fat  as  the 
Huskies  who  ate  it  raw  was  the  staple  diet.  But  we  were 
not  obliged  eat  it,  for  our  governor's  family  were  endowed 
with  the  greatest  of  social  virtues,  a  generous  hospitality,  the 
more  appreciated  because  the  less  anticipated. 

How  we  wondered  whence  came  those  dishes,  served  so 
graciously  and  with  such  congeniality,  without  ostentatious 
display,  and  how  good  they  tasted  to  the  starving  explorers  ! 
Deer  sausage,  prepared  like  Hamburg  steaks,  a  fish  dish 
tasting  not  unlike  and  resembling  head-cheese,  green  peas, 
fruit,  jam,  radishes — real  fresh  radishes — about  the  size  of  a 
hazel  nut,  grown  during  the  only  month  of  Greenland  sunny 
weather  in  the  governor's  garden  of  actual  soil — a  garden 
about  ten  feet  by  four — a  wonderful  garden  of  this  one  vege- 
table, for  be  it  known  that  Greenland's  strands  are  but  rock, 
snow,  and  ice.  Excuse  this  digression,  but  I  felt  obliged 
to  explain  how  it  came  tiiat  we  had  fresh  radishes.  To 
these  were  added  black  and  white  bread,  Danish  butter, 
pickles,  schnapps,  sherry,  madeira,  and  beer.     Then  followed 


324  THE    LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA. 

the  dessert  of  wafers,  Swiss  cheese,  bread,  coffee  with  goat's 
milk,  brandy,  and  cigars. 

No  epicure  could  have  been  more  agreeably  surprised  with 
a  "  feast  fit  for  the  gods  "  than  was  this  Arctic  shipwrecked 
party  with  the  dainties  so  freely  given  by  our  generous  hosts. 

And  now,  good  friend,  comes  the  query  :  what  benefit 
to  man  have  these  Arctic  explorations  wrought  ?  A  knowl- 
edge of  the  natives  of  tlie  wild  northern  wastes,  whose  origin 
is  unknown,  their  habits  and  mode  of  living,  of  the  formation 
of  glaciers  and  their  movements,  the  presence  of  whales,  cod, 
halibut,  and  of  innumerable  marine  birds  and  polar  bears, 
and  a  cryolite  formation,  is  about  the  sum  and  substance  ;  yet 
so  long  as  the  faith  of  nations,  of  historical  and  scientific  as- 
sociations, and  of  purse- plethoric  individuals  is  not  exhausted, 
the  ambitious  will  continue  attempts  that  are  always  fraught 
with  privations,  horrible  suffering,  and  death  to  fathom  the 
mysterious,  if  not  mythical,  elusive  North  Pole ;  to  render 
possible  the  determination  of  the  lines  of  variation  in  the 
magnetic  needle,  for  which  mai-iners  would  be  eternally 
grateful,  and  to  discover  a  northwest  passage  that  would 
never  be  frequented.  Is  it  worth  the  while  ?  Old  shipmate, 
let  you  and  me  give  all  the  chance  and  glory  for  future, 
probably  futile,  attempts  to  those  who  think  they  like  heroic 
martyrdom. 

George  W.  Gardkeb. 

To  H.  C.  Walsh. 


A  LETTER  FROM  PROF.   B.  C.  JILLSON. 


My  Dear  Mr.  Walsh: — You 
ask  me  to  write  something  for  your 
Arctic  book  concerning  that  part 
of  our  trip  winch  most  interested 
me.  Now,  my  dear  fellow,  should 
I  comply  with  your  request,  you 
would  receive  a  volume  as  big  as 
Webster's  Dictionary,  for  every 
moment  of  the  two  months  and  a 
half  was  full  of  intense  interest — 
some  of  it  too  intense  to  be  par- 
ticularly pleasant. 

The  icebergs  made  an  impression 
on  me  not  easily  effaced.  IIow  large  they  were,  and  how 
beautiful  !  Huge  cubical  blocks  of  ice  measuring  hundreds 
of  feet  on  a  side,  reflecting  the  light  like  a  mirror,  or  spark- 
ling like  ten  thousand  diamonds ;  large  *'  hay  stacks,"  as 
white  as  the  driven  snow,  floating  on  a  polished  sea ;  grand 
old  cathedrals,  with  their  turrets  and  towers  and  jiinnacles 
and  steeples  ;  enormous  fortifications  with  perpendicular  sides, 
their  tops  crowned  with  battlements,  with  embrasures  for 
cannon  and  long  cracks  like  loop-holes  for  musketry.  And 
what  beautiful  plays  of  colors  were  produced  as  the  light  was 
reflected  from  their  sides  and  from  the  deep  crevices,  or  from 
the  caves  and  caverns  studded  with  icicles,  making  the  mass 
glow  with  green  and  blue,  like  a  huge  topaz,  or  emerald,  or 
amethyst !  and  these  beautiful  sights  we  witnessed  day  after 
day,  never  the  same,  but  always  varying  in  form  and  color. 

Do  you  remember  that  night  when  we  were  lost  off  the 
coast  of  Labrador  and  rowed  from  «l  a.  m.  till  2 :  30  p.  m. 


220  THE    LAST   ORUISE    OV   THE    MIRANDA. 

before  we  readied  the  ship  ?  Oh,  liow  cold  it  was  !  and  when 
we  hmded  on  that  island  how  I  shivered,  and  how  the  others 
— good  fellows  as  they  were— almost  smothered  me  with 
blankets  and  overcoats  ;  and  how  my  chattering  teeth  bit  off 
the  stem  of  a. pipe  before  I  had  taken  a  single  puff  ;  and  how 
we  ran  and  danced,  and  swung  our  arms  to  keep  the  blood  in 
motion  !  And  that  same  night  how  the  auroras  streaked  the 
sky,  now  here,  now  there,  with  their  long  lines  of  quivering 
light  looking  like  spears  in  the  trembling  hands  of  giants  ! 
And  afterwards  on  the  Rigel,  what  a  magnificent  aurora  that 
was  swinging  over  our  heads,  its  great  folds  beaming  with  rose 
and  purple  light,  trembling  as  though  shaken  by  some 
mysterious  power  !  And  another  night  on  the  Miranda, 
when  a  rainbow  appeared  longer  and  wider  than  any  we 
had  ever  seen,  with  the  most  beautiful  and  varying  tints,  with 
streamers  shooting  upward  and  downward  from  the  great 
arch,  and  with  the  trembling,  wavy  motion  so  characteristic 
of  the  "  Merry  Dancers  of  the  North/' 

I  remember  you  were  in  the  party  that  took  two  dories  and 
rowed  twenty-four  miles  up  the  Isortok  fiord,  in  Greenland,  to 
visit  some  glaciers.  What  a  fine  sight  was  that  Ave  witnessed 
on  our  return,  as  the  sun  sank  behind  that  long  line  of  moun- 
tains whose  top,  notched  like  a  saw,  was  clear  cut  against  the 
sky.  What  exquisite  colors  :  how  they  changed  and  varied  in 
tint,  and  how  long  the  twilight  lasted,  with  its  after-glow  ! 
Mr.  Stokes,  the  artist  of  Peary's  first  expedition,  gave  an  ex- 
hibition here  in  Pittsburgh  of  his  paintings  of  Arctic  scenerj-, 
sunsets,  auroras,  etc.  Nearly  every  one  who  saw  these  views 
thought  them  exaggerated — that  such  a  coloring  of  nature 
was  impossible.  We  know  better,  for  we  have  seen  it,  not 
once  or  twice,  but  repeated  and  varied  day  after  day  and  night 
after  night ;  to  see  such  colors  is  worth  all  it  costs,  even  if 
one  loses  all  his  worldly  goods  and  is  obliged  to  come  home  on 
a  fishing  smack. 


A    LETTER   FROM    PROF.   R.   C.  JILLSON.  227 

When  the  Miranda  lay  in  the  liarbor  of  Sukkertoppen,  a 
few  liours  after  yonr  party  had  started  on  a  hunting  trip,  my- 
self and  seven  others,  with  five  Eskimos,  left  to  study  the 
glaciers  at  the  head  of  Ikamiut  fiord.  For  eleven  days  we 
lived  in  a  small  tent  pitched  on  a  narrow  neck  of  land  where 
two  fiords  meet.  It  was  cold  and  stormy,  and  we  were  sub- 
jected to  many  inconveniences,  but  were  amply  repaid  by  the 
result  of  our  studies  and  by  living  in  the  midst  of  such  grand 
scenery,  with  such  strange  surroundings.  We  had  for  neigh- 
bors fifteen  natives — nine  women  and  six  men — who  lived  in 
two  igloos — miserable  liuts  made  of  rough  stone  covered  with 
sod.  We  were  surrounded  by  solid  rocks,  which  rose  straight 
from  the  water  a  thousand  or  more  feet,  their  toi)s  covered 
with  snow  and  ice  which  extended  in  long  arms  nearly  to  the 
water's  edge.  Several  glaciers  were  in  view,  and  our  ears 
were  frequently  saluted  by  the  boom  !  boom  !  like  the  dis- 
charge of  heavy  artillery,  as  icebergs  broke  from  the  parent 
mass  and  floated  away.  As  we  rowed  over  the  fiords,  or 
climbed  the  rough  rocks,  or  wandered  over  the  glaciers,  not  a 
tree  was  to  be  seen — not  a  shrub.  Only  a  little  grass  between 
the  rocks  and  a  few  flowers  gave  life  to  this  "  Land  of  Deso- 
lation." 

On  Sunday  we  held  service,  to  which  our  Eskimo  friends 
were  invited.  The  front  of  our  tent  was  thrown  back,  and 
we  sat  at  the  entrance,  while  before  us  on  our  boat-seats  were 
the  natives  clothed  in  their  picturesque  costumes  made  of 
fur.  Of  course,  we  did  not  omit  tliat  grand  old  missionary 
hymn,  "  From  Greenland's  Icy  Mountains,"  and  we  sang  it, 
too,  as  we  never  sang  it  before,  for  were  we  not  in  the  midst 
of  those  very  mountains  covered  with  ice  and  snow,  and  those 
wonderful  fiords  with  tlieir  floating  icebergs  ?  Is  it  any  won- 
der that  our  thoughts  frequently  wandered  to  that  far  distant 
land  where  our  friends  were  worshipping  with  such  different 
surroundings  ? 


228  THE   LAST   CKUISE    OF   THE    MIRANDA 

Why,  my  dear  fellow,  everything  interested  me.  Every 
day  brought  something  new  and  strange.  I  believe  I  could 
write  volumes  about  the  magnificent  scenery  of  Greenland 
and  its  wonderful  system  of  glaciers  and  fiords  ;  about  the 
funny  little  women  with  divided  skirts,  their  heads  adorned 
with  red  and  blue  and  green  ribbons  and  crowned  with  a 
Psyche  knot,  while  perhaps  a  little  bright-eyed  baby  cooed 
from  the  golf  hood  on  the  back  of  its  mother ;  about  the  kay- 
akers  and  their  remarkable  kayaks,  how  they  would  glide  over 
the  stormy  sea  where  no  white  man  dared  venture,  and  how 
they  would  roll  over  and  over,  now  in  the  water  and  now  out, 
wetting  only  their  hands  and  face.  And  their  harpoons ! 
how  ingeniously  they  were  made,  as  well  as  their  weapons  for 
capturing  the  seal,  walrus,  and  other  game — but  why  write 
more  ?  Every  day  was  full  of  interest,  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  the  going  down  thereof.  Only  yesterday  a  man  said 
to  me,  "  I  never  heard  of  any  one  who  went  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  North  Pole  who  didn't  want  to  go  again,  and  you  are  an- 
other of  those  Arctic  cranks.  I  don't  understand  it.''  Well, 
we  do  ;  we've  been  there. 

I  cannot  close  without  a  word  of  praise  for  good  Captain 
Dixon  and  his  crew,  who  came  to  our  rescue  when  in  dire  dis- 
tress, and,  with  great  pecuniary  loss  and  inconvenience,  took 
us  to  a  place  of  safety.  They  are  a  good  type  of  the  New 
England  fishermen — brave,  venturesome,  kind-hearted,  and 
ever  ready  to  help  the  unfortunate.  May  God  bless  each  one 
of  them  with  a  long  and  happy  life. 

B.  C.  JiLLSOK. 


I  y  TX^/  /  ^  /        '    '  ^"^    ^^^    ^^ 

••"iT        /    J^>,    ^/^^  '^  C^         ^^  steamer  Por- 

"   ^^^■■*-'-^  -         '  ^/a,  the   sister 

ship  of  the  Miranda,  that  The  Arctic 
Club  was  formed.  The  members  of 
Dr.  Cook's  Arctic  Expedition  of  1894,  homeward  bound 
on  that  vessel,  met  in  the  smoking-room  on  the  evening  of 
September  8  and  organized  a  club  whose  active  members 
should  consist  of  all  the  persons  upon  the  passenger  list 
of  the  Miranda  on  her  last  cruise  into  Arctic  waters.  The 
following  officers  were  elected  :  Professor  William  11.  Brewer, 
president ;  Mr.  Henry  Collins  Walsh,  secretary ;  and  Mr. 
Rudolf  Kersting,  treasurer.  Motions  were  passed  to  this 
effect :  That  an  annual  dinner  be  given  by  the  club  at  a  date 
falling  between  Christmas  and  Xew  Year's  Day  ;  and  that 
any  members  unable  to  attend  should  forward  letters  to  the 
secretary  to  be  read  at  the  dinner. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  honorary  members 
of  the  club  :  Captain  George  W.  Dixon,  of  Gloucester,  Mass.; 
Captain  William  J.  Farrell,  of  New  York  ;  Governor  Bistrup 
and  Assistant-Governor  Baumann,  of  Sukkertoppen,  and 
Governor  Miiller,  of  Holsteinborg,  Greenland.     The  members 


230  THE   LAST   CRUISE    OF   THE    MIRAJS^DA. 

of  the  expedition  had  already  been  bound  together  by  the 
strong  ties  of  common  experiences,  hardships,  and  dangers. 
It  seemed  well,  therefore,  to  appoint  a  certain  time  when 
these  experiences  could  be  retold  over  the  walnuts  and  wine. 
After  JEueas  and  his  weary  Trojans  had  been  toiling  against 
wind  and  wave  he  cheered  their  drooping  spirits  by  remarking 
to  them,  ''  For  sail  et  haec  olim  meminisse  juvabit."  And  in 
truth  there  is  nothing  pleasanter  in  life  in  the  way  of  social 
entertainment  than  the  recalling  of  common  hardships  and 
dangers  about  a  board  where  old  comrades  have  assembled,  and 
where  libations  and  the  incense  of  cigars  are  ofEered  to  the 
rescuing  gods. 

The  first  annual  dinner  of  the  Arctic  Club  took  place  at  the 
Hotel  Martin,  'New  York,  on  December  27,  1894,  and  was  a 
unique  and  enjoyable,  affair.  Speeches  descriptive  of  Arctic 
life  and  adventure  were  made,  and  incidents  and  recollections 
of  the  trip  were  recalled  by  Professor  William  II.  Brewer, 
Mr.  James  D.  Dewell,  Hon.  George  W.  Gardner,  Captain 
William  J.  Farrell,  Dr.  E.  M.  Cramer,  Chief  Officer  George 
Manuel,  Dr.  R.  0.  Stebbins,  Professor  L.  J.  W.  Joyner, 
Dr.  Frederick  A.  Cook,  Mr.  A.  P.  Rogers,  Mr.  Rudolf  Ker- 
sting,  Mr.  Frederick  P.  Gay,  Mr.  William  J.  Littell,  Mr.  H. 
D.  Cleveland,  Mr.  George  M.  Coates,  Jr.,  and  Mr.  Carlyle 
Garrison. 

Letters  of  regret  were  read  from  various  members  of 
the  club  who  were  unable  to  attend  the  dinner  ;  among  these 
was  one  from  Captain  George  W.  Dixon,  who,  unfortunately, 
was  detained  by  business  in  Gloucester.  Mr.  Henry  Collins 
Walsh  gave  a  toast  in  his  honor.  In  explanation  of  a  certain 
portion  of  this  toast,  it  must  be  said  that  tlie  passengers 
of  the  Miranda  had  subscribed,  before  they  parted  at  Sydney, 
the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  purchase  of 
some  fitting  testimonial  to  Captain  Dixon  ;  a  large  old-fash- 
ioned clock,  richly  ornamented,  being  finally  decided  upon  by 


THE   AKCTIC    CLUB.  231 

the  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  the 
testimonial.  This  clock,  with  an  appropriate  inscription 
upon  a  silver  plate,  was  accordingly  forwarded  to  Captain 
Dixon  early  in  October,  1894. 


THE  TOAST. 

I  drink  to  one,  lie  is  not  here, 

Yet  I  would  guard  liis  glory  ; 
A  knight  without  reproach  or  fear 

Should  live  in  song  and  story. 

No  knight  is  he  of  high  degree, 
Who  fought  for  fame  and  beauty  ; 

But  just  a  sailor  of  the  sea 
Who  did  his  seaman's  duty 

He  thought  of  others,  not  of  self. 
That  night  our  good  ships  parted  ; 

Nor  cared  for  salvage  nor  for  pelf. 
Because  so  human-hearted. 

For  unto  him  his  fellow-men 
Were  the  most  precious  burden  ; 

And  aught  else  was  of  lesser  ken. 
Nor  recked  he  of  his  guerdon. 

And  is  he  now  upon  the  sea. 
Or  with  hia  dear  ones  round  him. 

Like  carriers,  may  our  greetings  be, 
And  rest  not  till  they've  found  him. 

One  memory  like  the  golden  sands 
Down  Time's  glass  ever  flowing. 

Our  tall  clock  stands,  and  points  its  hands 
To  his  coming  and  his  going. 


232 


THE    LAST   CRUISE   OF   THE    MIRANDA. 


And  when  he  comes  to  meat  and  bread, 

I  know  'lis  but  a  fiction, 
And  yet,  methinks  tlie  clock  hands  spread 

To  give  our  benediction. 

Till  hearts  are  dead,  till  eyes  are  dim, 

"We  shall  forget  him  never  ; 
And  may  our  blessings  bide  with  him 

Forever  and  forever. 

So  I  drink  to  one,  he  is  not  here, 

Yet  I  would  guard  his  glory  ; 
A  knight  without  reproach  or  fear 

Should  live  in  song  and  story. 

A  heart  as  gentle  as  a  lass. 

Yet  bold  as  any  eagle  ; 
O  comrades,  rise  !  I  fill  this  glass 

To  Dixon  of  the  Rigel ! 


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